WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday she hoped soon to visit Libya following the release of six foreign medics this week that has opened the way for better relations.

In an interview with the U.S.-backed Arabic language radio station, Radio Sawa, Rice said she did not have any dates to travel to Libya but pointed to the nomination by President George W. Bush this month of a U.S. ambassador to Libya.

"We by the way appointed an ambassador to Libya and so I sincerely hope that I will be able to visit there soon," she told Radio Sawa.

Libya has been pushing for a visit by Rice to Tripoli, which would be an obvious sign of improved ties between the two countries.

Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who were convicted of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV, returned to Bulgaria on Tuesday after they were pardoned as part of a deal between Tripoli and the European Union. The medics insisted they were innocent throughout their eight-year ordeal.

The case had held back Libya's full resumption of normal relations with the United States even though ties had dramatically improved between the two countries since Tripoli gave up weapons of mass destruction in 2003.

In the latest sign of Libya's warming relations with the West, Libyan officials said on Wednesday they will sign an accord on military-industrial partnership with France, whose President Nicolas Sarkozy is visiting the North African country.

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