After their distribution on seven European states; Picqui: the exiled Palestinian are not terrorists
Palestine, Politics, 5/23/2002

The Spanish foreign minister Josip Picqui commended the European role played in alleviating tensions through hosting the 13 Palestinians exiled by Israel. Yet he expressed regret that certain countries did not take part in shouldering the responsibility.

Picqui whose country presides the current rotating presidency of the European Union said in a statement to the Spanish Channel II which was supervised by the European Union to host the exiled Palestinians in seven European states was a progress at the level of regional cooperation.

Replying to a question on whether certain important European states like France and Germany did not shoulder their responsibilities and refused to host the exiled Palestinians, the Spanish minister said " each and every country behaves according to what is considered possible at the meantime." He expressed regret that certain countries did not shoulder their responsibilities when the time of for decision taking comes to settle the conflict.

He denied calling the exiled Palestinian terrorists, stressing they were hosted for humanitarian reasons, adding that three of them who are hosted by Spain will be granted a one-year visa to be renewed later.

He stressed that the European Union is embarking on a new foreign policy that was not pursued in the past, and that results of this policy started to show results.

Picqui added the European Union was promised by Israel not to ask for arresting the 13 Palestinians.

In Lisbon, a source at the Portuguese ministry of the interior said on Wednesday that one of the 13 Palestinians exiled by Israel will be free but they have to honor the security orders prescribed by the Portuguese authorities.

The PLO representative in Portugal Issam Bseiso said that the Palestinians who will be hosted by Portugal will be given a licensing for one year to be renewed until the declaration of the independent Palestinian state. He added that the Portuguese authorities will permit the family of the Palestinians to stay with them in Portugal on the same conditions and at the protection of the Portuguese government.

On Wednesday morning 12 of the exiled Palestinians arrived on board of two Spanish and Italian planes to the countries agreed to receive in Europe.

AFP said that three of the Palestinians took the small Italian plane which took off first while the other 9 took the Spanish military planes.

One of those Palestinians will stay in Cyprus in the context of the agreement which permitted the lifting of siege imposed by the Israeli forces at the Church of the Nativity and lasted for one month.

The agreement states that each of Italy and Spain will host three Palestinians, while two are sent to each of Ireland and Greece, each of Portugal and Belgium receive one and one stays in Cyprus.

A diplomatic source in Italy said that the three Palestinian who will stay in Italy are Muhammad Saeed Atallah; Khaled Abu Nejmeh and Muhammad Saeed Obeyyat.

Previous Stories:
  The EU settled the question of exiled Palestinians   (5/20/2002)
  Saadat holds Arafat responsible for his detention   (5/18/2002)
  Palestinian state not subject to Likud whims   (5/14/2002)

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