THE FINAL decision on the fate of 12 of the 13 Palestinians holed up at a Larnaca hotel will be made in Brussels today, the EU’s Middle East envoy Miguel Moratinos said in Cyprus yesterday.
Moratinos yesterday met the 13 Palestinians, brought to Cyprus over a week ago following the end of the Israeli siege at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. He said the legal and political discussions in Brussels regarding which countries would take them in “have practically been finalised”, adding that the issue would be wrapped up today.
Moratinos was accompanied to the Flamingo Hotel by the Palestinian Authority’s Representative in Cyprus Samir abu Gazhalleh, by Spanish Ambassador to Cyprus Ignacio Garcia Valdecasas and Head of the European Commission delegation on the island Donato Chiarini.
“Joint action will be finalised tomorrow, as there are still some small issues to be discussed,” he said. “We are very close to an end. I have just come to inform the 13 Palestinians of the positive things.”
He said that once the final touches were made “and thanks to the Cypriot government for its tremendous contribution”, it was hoped that everything would be resolved by today.
Asked if there was a preliminary agreement on the Palestinians’ legal status, once they reached their host countries, Moratinos said “I think there is” and “it would have to be formalised tomorrow in Brussels,” he added.
“Today is the Pentecost, it is a holiday in Brussels, and they cannot have a formal session. There is a preliminary agreement on the status and there is a common status for all of them in any place they will remain”, he added.
Asked to elaborate on the Palestinians’ future status, Moratinos said: “I prefer to wait for the formal decision”.
He said the Palestinians would be considered free citizens in the countries that would take them in and that the whole situation would be monitored.
Spain and Italy have said they would each take three of the Palestinians while Greece and Ireland will take two each and Portugal and Beligum one each. The 13th Palestinian will stay in Cyprus for the time being.
Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said that although the final status of 12 of the 13 has been finalised, the destination of the last man had not.
EU member states have been haggling for over a week on what to do with the Palestinians ever since they were expelled from Israel as terrorists.
EU ambassadors had already put off their decision on where to send the 13 on three occasions.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
