Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Divisions emerged on January 21 over Donald Trump’s Board of Peace envisaged in the US President’s peace plan for Gaza, with some western European countries declining to join while others like India remained noncommittal.
The development underscores European concerns over the controversial and ambitious project — which some say seeks to replace the United Nations’ role in mediating global conflicts, according to an AP report.
A White House official said about 30 countries were expected to join the board. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal plans not yet made public, said about 50 countries had been invited to join the organization.
Norway and Sweden said they wouldn’t accept their invitations, after France also said no — stressing that while it supports the Gaza peace plan, it was concerned the board could seek to replace the U.N. as the main venue for resolving conflicts.
Chaired by Trump, the board was originally envisaged as a small group of world leaders overseeing the Gaza ceasefire plan. But the Trump administration’s ambitions have since expanded into a more sprawling concept, with Trump extending invitations to dozens of nations.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s agreed to join the board — a departure from an earlier stance when his office criticized the makeup of the board’s committee tasked with overseeing Gaza.
Norway’s state secretary, Kristoffer Thoner, said Norway would not join the board because it “raises a number of questions that require further dialogue with the United States.”
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on the sidelines of Davos that his country wouldn’t sign up for the board as the text currently stands.
The United Kingdom, the European Union’s executive arm, Canada, Russia, Ukraine and China have also not yet indicated their response to Trump’s invitations.
Among those who have accepted the invitation are the United Arab Emirates, Armenia, Morocco, Vietnam, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Argentina.
