DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — President Donald Trump wants to spotlight his proposed “ Board of Peace ” at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, looking to create momentum for a project that has been overshadowed this week first by his threats to seize Greenland, and then by a dramatic retreat from that push.
The new board was initially envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing the Gaza ceasefire, but has morphed into something far more ambitious
— and skepticism about its membership and mandate has led some traditional U.S. allies to so far take a pass.
Trump expressed confidence in his idea ahead of what the White House said would be a “charter announcement" on the sidelines of the forum in the Swiss alps.
“We have a lot of great people that want to join,” Trump said with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi by his side during a Wednesday meeting. Egypt is among the countries that has announced it will join the board. Trump added, “It’s going to be the most prestigious board ever formed.”
Some 35 countries had agreed to sign on to the project, a senior administration official told reporters, and 60 nations had been invited to join. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.
Trump, who has spoken about the board replacing some of the functions of the United Nations and perhaps even making it eventually obsolete, said some countries’ leaders have indicated that they plan to join but still require approval from their parliaments, and said his administration is also receiving queries about membership from countries that hadn’t been invited to join.
Big questions remain, though. Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country is still consulting with Moscow’s “strategic partners” before deciding to commit. The Russian president on Thursday is due to host Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for talks in Moscow.
Others have raised questions about why Putin and other authoritarian leaders had even been invited to join. Trump said he wanted “everybody” who was powerful. “I have some controversial people. But these are people that get the job done. These are people that have tremendous influence.”
Some European nations, meanwhile, have declined their invitations. Norway and Sweden have indicated that they won’t participate, after France also said no. French officials stressed that while they support the Gaza peace plan, they were concerned the board could seek to replace the U.N. as the main venue for resolving conflicts.
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said “the time has not yet come to accept the invitation,” according to the STA news agency, with the main concern being the board’s mandate may be too broad and could undermine international order based on the U.N. Charter.
The United Kingdom, the European Union’s executive arm, Canada, Russia, Ukraine and China also have not yet indicated their response to Trump’s invitations. Trump calling off the steep tariffs he threatened over Greenland could ease some allies' reluctance — but the issue is still far from settled.
The idea for the Board of Peace was first laid out in Trump's 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan and even was endorsed by the U.N. Security Council.
Invitation letters to world leaders ahead of Davos indicated that the panel may not confine their work to Gaza.
When asked by a reporter earlier this week if the board should replace the U.N., Trump replied that “it might.” He asserted that the world body “hasn’t been very helpful” and “has never lived up to its potential” but also said the U.N. should continue ”because the potential is so great.”
Trump's hopes for the board received some good news on Wednesday, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he’s agreed to join, after his office has earlier criticized the makeup of the board’s committee tasked with overseeing Gaza.
Months into the ceasefire, Gaza’s more than 2 million Palestinians continue to suffer the humanitarian crisis unleashed by over two years of war. And violence in Gaza, while not at the same level as before the October ceasefire and hostage deal was agreed on, continues.
Key to the truce in Gaza continuing to hold is the disarming of Hamas, something the militant group that has controlled the Palestinian territory since 2007 has refused to do and that Israel sees as non-negotiable.
Trump on Wednesday said his administration should know in the next few weeks whether Hamas would come to terms on laying down their weapons.
“If they don’t do it," Trump said, "they’ll be blown away. Very quickly."
Trump's push for peace also comes after he threatened military action this month against Iran as it carried out a violent crackdown against some of the largest street protests in years, killing thousands.
Trump, for the time being, has signaled he won't carry out any new strikes on Iran after he said he received assurances that the Islamic government would not carry out the planned hangings of more than 800 protesters.
But even as he prepared to unveil his Board of Peace, Trump also made the case that his tough approach to Tehran — including strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in June last year — was critical to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal coalescing. Iran was Hamas' most important patron, providing the group hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid, weapons, training and financial support over the years.
“If we didn’t do that, there was no chance of making peace," Trump said of Iran.
Trump also expects to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, though it wasn't clear if the talks would take place at Davos or by phone.
But Trump, who continues to struggle to get Zelenskyy and Putin to agree to terms to end their nearly four-year old war, again expressed frustration with both on Wednesday.
“I believe they’re at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done,” Trump said. “And if they don’t, they’re stupid — that goes for both of them.”
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Madhani reported from Washington.
