ROME: Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Wednesday it appeared problematic for his country to join the so-called Board of Peace promoted by US President Donald Trump to govern Gaza.
Speaking at an event in Rome to present the Winter Olympics Italy is hosting next month, Giorgetti said that judging from news reports he had read “it seems there are some problems” regarding Rome’s participation in Trump’s initiative.
Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported earlier on Wednesday that Italy would not take part, citing concern that joining a group led by a single country’s leader would violate the constitution.
The proposed board would be chaired for life by Trump and start by addressing the Gaza conflict before expanding to other crises. Member countries would be required to pay a $1 billion fee each to earn permanent membership.
Trump’s plan has so far drawn cautious reactions from Western allies, as diplomats say it could undermine the work of the United Nations.
On Thursday, Trump is due to preside over a ceremony celebrating the new group in Davos, Switzerland, site of the World Economic Forum.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a right-wing leader who has had warm relations with Trump, is unlikely to go to Davos, a source told Reuters.
The Italian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Corriere report.
According to Italy’s constitution, Italy may join international organizations that ensure “peace and justice among nations” only “on equal terms with other states,” a condition incompatible with US primacy on the new board, Corriere said.
The newspaper did not cite a source for its report.
Invitations to join the board have been addressed to some 60 nations. Only a few, including Hungary, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, have so far accepted without reservations.
Adding to concern among Western allies, the Kremlin said this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin had also been invited.
Italian role in Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ seems problematic, minister says
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Italian role in Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ seems problematic, minister says
- Giorgetti said that judging from news reports he had read “it seems there are some problems”
- Italy may join international organizations that ensure “peace and justice among nations” only “on equal terms with other states“
Brazil’s Lula accuses Trump of seeking to forge ‘new UN’
- Lula defended multilateralism against what he called “the law of the jungle” in global affairs
- Key US allies including France and Britain have also expressed doubts
BRASILIA: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused Donald Trump on Friday of trying to create “a new UN” with his proposed “Board of Peace.”
The veteran leftist joins other world leaders who have avoided signing up for Trump’s new global conflict resolution organization, where a permanent seat costs $1 billion and the chairman is Trump himself.
“Instead of fixing” the United Nations, “what’s happening? President Trump is proposing to create a new UN where only he is the owner,” Lula said.
Trump unveiled his “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos Thursday, joined on stage by leaders and officials from 19 countries to sign its founding charter.
Lula defended multilateralism against what he called “the law of the jungle” in global affairs.
His remarks come a day after he spoke by phone with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who urged his counterpart to safeguard the “central role” of the United Nations in international affairs.
In his remarks on Friday, Lula said “the UN charter is being torn.”
Although originally intended to oversee Gaza’s rebuilding, the board’s charter does not seem to limit its role to the Palestinian territory and appears to want to rival the United Nations.
Key US allies including France and Britain have also expressed doubts.
London balked at the inclusion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces are fighting in Ukraine after invading in 2022.
France said the charter as it currently stood was “incompatible” with its international commitments, especially its UN membership.
