STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A toddler who was abandoned in Sweden shortly after she was born could be reunited with her Algerian parents, officials say.
A DNA test has determined the couple are Haddile's biological parents, the Swedish news agency TT reported. Their lawyer told the Stockholm newspaper Aftonbladet the couple are expected to arrive in Sweden on Dec. 7.
Haddile's mother gave birth in a hospital in Lund and then left the baby less than three weeks later with her stepfather. She was removed from his care when authorities found evidence of abuse and the 2-year-old has spent most of her life with Swedish fosterparents who would like to adopt her.
Carl-Olof Lindberg, who represents the child's interests, said he does not know what the parents' actually want. A move to deport Haddile to France to reunite her with her mother, an Algerian-born French citizen, sparked widespread outrage.
"The Algerian couple might just come here to simply pick up the girl and say thanks a lot for your time," he said. "It's going to be terribly traumatic for her because she doesn't have any memory of her parents, has never been to their homeland and doesn't speak their language."
