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RABAT, July 27 (Reuters) Libya has called on other Arab countries to cut diplomatic and economic ties with Bulgaria after it pardoned six medics that Libya had jailed for infecting hundreds of children with HIV, a news Web site said today.

''Libya yesterday asked for an urgent meeting of the Arab League to see if it can take a united decision to cut all diplomatic relations with Bulgaria as well as financial and economic relations,'' London-based Arabic online newspaper Libya al-Youm (Libya Today) reported.

It said the demand was made by Abdelmounaim al Houni, Libya's permanent representative at the Arab League, in a formal note given to the League's Secretary General Amr Moussa and would be discussed on Monday at the league's regular meeting.

No Libyan officials were immediately available for comment.

The five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were freed as soon as they arrived in Bulgaria after the European Union struck a cooperation deal with Tripoli that ended their eight-year imprisonment.

Libya said the pardon violated earlier agreements with Bulgaria and the HIV victims' families condemned Bulgaria's ''recklessness'', demanding the medical workers be re-arrested by Interpol. Bulgarian officials said the pardon was legal.

A diplomatic source said Libya had intended the medics to serve their remaining sentences after their transfer and referred to an article in the prisoner exchange agreement to that effect.

''There is no official claim from Libya asking for breaking off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria,'' Bulgarian deputy Foreign Minister Feim Chaushev told national radio BNR on Friday. ''We have also no official information the country has appealed to the Arab League either.'' Jailed since 1999, the six were twice condemned to death. Last week Libya commuted the sentences to life in prison after the 460 HIV victims' families were paid $1 million each in a settlement financed by an international fund.

REUTERS GT RN2043