Trump launches Board of Peace

JERUSALEM/DAVOS — US President Donald Trump on Thursday launched his Board of Peace, initially focused on cementing Gaza's ceasefire but which he said could take a wider role, raising concerns among powers, although he said it would work with the United Nations.

"Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do. And we'll do it in conjunction with the United Nations," Trump said, adding that the UN had great potential that had not been fully utilized.

Trump, who will chair the board, invited dozens of other leaders to join, saying he wants it to address challenges beyond the Gaza truce, stirring misgivings that it could undermine the UN's role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution.

Other major global powers and traditional Western US allies have balked at joining the board, which Trump says permanent members must help fund with a payment of $1 billion each, either responding cautiously or declining the invitation.

The launching ceremony was held in Davos, Switzerland, where the annual World Economic Forum, bringing together global political and business leaders, is taking place.

About 35 world leaders have committed so far out of the 50 or so invitations that were sent out, a senior US administration official told reporters on Wednesday.

Key US allies have expressed skepticism.

Norway's State Secretary Kristoffer Thoner said the Scandinavian country would not join the board because it "raises a number of questions that require further dialogue with the United States".

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said "the time has not yet come to accept the invitation", according to the STA news agency. The main concern is that the board's mandate is too broad and could undermine international order based on the UN Charter, Golob said.

France declined the invitation earlier in the week. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, "Yes to implementing the peace plan presented by the president of the United States, which we wholeheartedly support, but no to creating an organization as it has been presented, which would replace the United Nations."

Meanwhile, parties mediating the Gaza ceasefire — Egypt and Jordan — have said they would join the board.

'Shared decision'

In a joint statement, Riyadh announced the "shared decision" of the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates to join the body.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had agreed to join the board — a departure from an earlier stance when his office criticized the makeup of another committee tasked with overseeing Gaza.

Trump also said on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to join — despite the Kremlin so far saying it was still studying the invitation.

Putin said on Wednesday that Russia's foreign minister was studying the proposal to join Trump's proposed Board of Peace and would reply in due course.

Putin, quoted by Russian news agencies at a meeting of Russia's Security Council, said he believed the board was primarily designed to deal with a Middle East peace settlement.

He said Russia was prepared to provide $1 billion for the board, as proposed by Trump for long-term membership, from the frozen Russian assets. Putin also said he would meet Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Moscow to "continue dialogue on the Ukrainian settlement".

In Davos on Wednesday, Trump said Russia and Ukraine would be "stupid" not to reach a peace deal in the conflict that he said he could have solved within a day of taking office a year ago.

Trump was sunny about the prospects ahead of an event on Thursday tied to the board, saying of the countries that were invited, "some need parliamentary approval but for the most part, everybody wants to be on".

Many questions remain about the board. Retired US ambassador Robert Wood, who served at the US Mission to the United Nations under Republican and Democratic leaders, said if Trump is trying to replace the Security Council with a Board of Peace dealing with issues beyond Gaza, "I don't think there's going to be a lot of interest."

Agencies - Xinhua