Gathered in Brussels on 13 May for the meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC), the foreign ministers of the Fifteen reached a decision on the case of the thirteen Palestinians who had sought sanctuary in the basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and are now in Cyprus while awaiting a decision on their final destination. Six European countries have declared their willingness to accept the Palestinians: Italy, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. Canada too has notified its readiness to take some. The modalities and the timetable of the transfers will be defined within the next week by the committee of permanent representatives of the EU (Coreper I); the host countries have still to identify the most suitable venues for the residence of the Palestinians. Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Piqué, current chairman of the GAC, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, expressed his satisfaction that an agreement had been so rapidly reached. He also stressed that Israeli premier Ariel Sharon had confirmed that his country would not seek the extradition of the thirteen, whom Europe considers “neither exiles nor deportees”. The leader of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat had already given assurances, in a letter sent to the GAC, that the Palestinians would respect the laws of their host countries.
