Libya’s Supreme Court has set an appeal hearing for the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor for Sunday, Christmas Day, although officials do not expect a final ruling until January.

But talks have also been going on behind the scenes between diplomats to try to secure their release.

“I have reason to expect developments in the negotiation process that should lead to a breakthrough, to a long-time expected positive outcome,” the newspaper quoted Parvanov as saying in a trailer of an interview it plans to publish on Saturday.