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Details of EU deal on Palestinians
BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNN) -- The European Union has officially approved a temporary settlement on 12 of the 13 Palestinian militants who had been holed-up in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity for five weeks, before being flown to Cyprus.
The 13th will remain in Cyprus, which is not a member of the EU.
Here is an outline of the EU agreement:
Three men will be sent to Spain, three to Italy, two to Greece, two to Ireland, one to Portugal, one to Belgium and one will remain in Cyprus.
Italy is reported by local media to have accepted Ibrahim Mahmoud Salem Abayat, a member of the militant group Hamas; and Khaled Abu Nijmeh, an Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades member linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement; and Mohammed Said, The Associated Press reported.
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Greece received two of the militants, initially identified as Mamdouh Nawawreh and Mohammed al-Hanna, both members of Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, AP added.
The 12 are accepted on a temporary basis and on humanitarian grounds. They are not asylum-seekers.
Each of the member states concerned will issue a national permit allowing them to enter and stay in its territory, under its own national law, for a period of up to 12 months.
The 12 will not be able to leave the territory or travel within the borders of other member states during that time.
A spokesman for the Greek government said its intake will have freedom of movement within the country's borders, but will be under tight protection and surveillance, AP said.
Portugal, Italy and Greece said the whereabouts of the militants will be kept secret, AP reported.
The EU has not stipulated what will happen to the Palestinians at the end of the 12 months.
It is not clear whether the 12 will be able to travel back to the Mideast during this period.
Issues such as housing, living conditions, the relations to members of their family, access to employment or vocational training will be governed by the national law of each receiving member state, although member states will exchange information in order to encourage as far as possible comparable treatment.
The aim is to also give the 12 equal treatment in such matters as duration of stay, the protection of their security and the security of others, but it is up to each nation.
If a third state requests to extradite any of the 12, the member states concerned have agreed to consult with other EU council members.
It is not known why the 13th Palestinian will not be going to an EU member state. The 13th man, Abdullah Daoud, 41, is head of the Palestinian intelligence service in Bethlehem and the most senior among the militants.
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