WASHINGTON: The first meeting of the Peace Board, chaired by US President Donald Trump, is currently underway in Washington. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also attending the high-level discussion.
Before the session began, global leaders gathered for a group photo with President Trump at the Trump Institute of Peace.
Notably, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, including China, Russia and the United Kingdom, are not present at the meeting. Their absence raises questions regarding the scope and inclusivity of the discussions on global peace and security.
Trump opened his remarks by thanking those in attendance, as well as the media. “This is a big day, and lots of people watching,” Trump said.
“We have a large group of leaders, and the ones that aren’t here are watching on Zoom, I hope they enjoy it.” He reiterated his intent: “What we’re doing is very simple: peace. It’s called the Board of Peace, and it’s all about an easy word to say, but a hard word to produce: peace.”
Trump said the inaugural meeting of the board is “very important.”
“I believe it’s the most consequential board, certainly in terms of power and in terms of prestige. There’s never been anything close,” he said. He took aim at those who declined to accept his invitation to join his board.
“Almost everybody’s accepted, and the ones that haven’t, will be. Some are playing a little cute – doesn’t work, you can’t play cute with me.”
Trump sees the Board of Peace taking a wider role in resolving global conflicts which some countries fear means it could become a rival to the United Nations.
This along with the fact that Russia and Belarus were invited to join means many Western countries have taken a cautious approach. Trump said once again that he has ended over eight conflicts since taking office. So what’s his track record?
Trump said the United States had to make a meaningful deal with Iran, citing good talks with Tehran.
He reiterated Washington’s stance that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.
He went on to tout the ceasefire he brokered in Gaza, but said there were “little flames” in the region.
“When I took office, the war in Gaza was raging with thousands of people being killed and no end in sight. Today, thanks to unrelenting diplomacy and the commitment of many of the great people in this room … the war in Gaza is over. It’s over. There are little flames.”
The war started with the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed more than 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s air and ground war in Gaza has killed more than 72,000 people since then, according to Palestinian health ministry data.
“That’s a tough one. That’s a much tougher one,” he said.
“I would have thought that … this would be easy because I have a very good relationship with (Russian) President Putin.”
Two days of peace talks in Geneva between Ukraine and Russia ended on Wednesday without a breakthrough.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was dissatisfied with the outcome while Washington reported “meaningful progress”.
Towards the end of his remarks, Trump said countries contributed over $7 billion to relief efforts in Gaza.
“I’m pleased to announce that Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait have all contributed more than $7 billion toward the relief package,” Trump said.
He also announced how much the U.S. would contribute. “The United States is going to make a contribution of $10 billion to the Board of Peace.”
The World Bank, the U.N. and the European Union had estimated last February it would cost more than $50 billion to rebuild Gaza, and were finalizing a new interim estimate of $70 billion in November.
Soccer’s governing body FIFA will also help to raise $75 million for soccer-related projects in Gaza, Trump said. The United States, Canada and Mexico will host the FIFA World Cup later this year.
Trump also said that it looks like Palestinian militant group Hamas will disarm.–Reuters
