Brussels, 21/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - The EU finally reached agreement on Friday on the legal status of the thirteen deported Palestinians, and on Sunday agreed on the six Member States (and Cyprus) that will take them in. The agreement was formalised on Tuesday by the adoption of a common EU position by written procedure. Spain and Italy will each take in three of the Palestinians, Greece and Ireland two each, Portugal and Belgium one each and one of them will remain in Cyprus. The Palestinians "will be received on a temporary basis on humanitarian grounds … for a period of up to 12 months". They will not have refugee status and will only be able to move freely in the country of the Member State concerned according to rules set by that state. All other issues (housing, family regroupment, etc) will be decided by the relevant Member State, but making an attempt to coordinate and provide information. If Israel were to demand the extradition of any of these temporary refugees, the EU will decide together now to react. The 13 Palestinians arrived in Cyprus on 10 May after Israel lifted the siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on condition that they be deported. The EU pledged to take them in and arranged transport to Cyprus where they remained for a short while as the EU decided on their status and the country that would take them in. Member States discussed the matter for a long time at the General Affairs Council on 13 May and on several occasions in COREPER, and also on the margins of the EU/Latin American Summit in Madrid. The Spanish Presidency did not hide its criticisms of the big EU countries (France, the UK and Germany) that refused to take any of the Palestinians in.