The European Parliament removed from its agenda a motion for a resolution on Libya following the intervention of Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil.
The motion, presented by the European Socialists, intended to bring up the issue of the Bulgarian nurses currently held in Libya on charges of having infected hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.
However, on Dr Busuttil's initiative, the EPP group in the European Parliament proposed to remove the item from the agenda.
"This was not the right time to discuss this kind of resolution," Dr Busuttil told the European Parliament on Monday afternoon.
"The ongoing judicial proceedings in Libya involving the nurses has reached a critical stage and the European Parliament should do nothing that could be seen as undue pressure on the Libyan judicial system," he said.
The proposal for the removal of the Libya resolution from the agenda was approved with the EPP-ED group voting in favour and the Socialist Group abstaining.