Australia invited to join Trump’s ‘board for peace’<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n
Governments have reacted cautiously to Donald Trump\u2019s<\/strong> invitation to join his \u2018board of peace\u2019 initiative aimed at resolving conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the UN.<\/p>\n Only Hungary, whose leader is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitations, which have been addressed to some 60 nations and began arriving in European capitals on Saturday, according to diplomats.<\/p>\n The leaders of Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Canada, the European Commission and key Middle East powers were among those invited, according to officials.<\/p>\n As Lorenzo Tondo<\/strong> reports this morning, far-right ministers in Israel have attacked the White House\u2019s picks for the panel \u2013 which includes representatives of Turkey and Qatar, both of which have been critical of Israel\u2019s war in the strip:<\/p>\n The board would be chaired for life by Trump and would start by addressing the Gaza conflict and then be expanded to deal with other conflicts, according to a copy of the letter and draft charter seen by Reuters.<\/p>\n Member states would be limited to three-year terms unless they pay US$1bn each to fund the board\u2019s activities and earn permanent membership, the letter states.<\/p>\n A mandate for a Board of Peace was authorised by the UN security council in November, but only through 2027 and solely focused on the Gaza conflict. Russia and China, two veto wielding powers, abstained, complaining that the resolution did not give the UN a clear role in the future of Gaza.<\/p>\n