US "Board of Peace" draws doubts, indifference from Europe

BEIJING - The so-called "Board of Peace", proposed by the United States, has been met with doubts and indifference, as it will likely overlap or undermine the role of the United Nations.

In Davos, US President Donald Trump formally launched the Board of Peace on Thursday at a charter-signing ceremony, though several European leaders were absent.

Trump said Tuesday that the United Nations should continue because of its potential, but the "Board of Peace" he proposed "might" replace the organization.

In his nearly two-hour address at a White House press briefing marking the first anniversary of his second term, Trump repeatedly criticized the United Nations as being ineffective in ending wars.

The EU has serious doubts about the Board of Peace and will defend itself against any form of coercion, European Council President Antonio Costa said after the council's emergency summit in Brussels shortly after midnight Thursday.

Costa told a news conference that the EU has serious doubts about many elements of the Board of Peace, including its scope, governance and compatibility with the UN Charter.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Thursday Britain will not sign the Board of Peace treaty.

"There's a huge amount of work to do, we won't be one of the signatories today," she told British media. This is about a legal treaty that "raises much broader issues," Cooper stressed.

According to the German magazine Der Spiegel on Wednesday, Germany will not join the initiative in its current form.

The Federal Foreign Office said in an internal government document that while Berlin remains open to dialogue on peace initiatives, joining the so-called Board of Peace in the present form is not possible, said the report.

The document stressed that Germany is committed to strengthening the international order with the UN Charter at its core, while the US proposal is viewed as a "counter-draft" to the United Nations.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Wednesday that Sweden will not join the proposal based on its "current text", reported Sweden's public broadcaster Sveriges Radio.

Kristersson made the remarks while attending the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said the report. "As the text stands right now, Sweden will not sign," Kristersson was quoted as saying.

Similarly, the Norwegian Prime Minister's Office said that Norway will not join the initiative or take part in a planned signing ceremony in Davos.

Kristoffer Thoner, state secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, said the US proposal "raises a number of questions" that require further dialogue with Washington.

The Board of Peace was originally proposed as part of a US-drafted peace plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and help reconstruct the Gaza Strip.

However, a draft charter of the board -- reportedly attached to invitation letters to many world leaders and obtained by multiple media outlets -- makes no reference to Gaza. Instead, it outlines a broader vision for the body as a US-controlled organization aimed at helping resolve conflicts and wars worldwide, a role the United Nations has played for decades.

According to media reports, the proposal grants Trump, as "chairman", extensive decision-making powers. Under the current plan, Trump would serve as the board's inaugural chairman, a position he could hold for life.