Kamal Ghorui
The US President Donald Trump announced his “Board of Peace” at Davos on Wednesday. The a body is expected to resolve international conflicts with a $1 billion price tag for permanent membership.Speaking at the forum, Trump said claimed that “everybody” wanted to be a part of the board. He said he would continue to “work with many others, including United Nations”.Trump said that 59 countries are taking part in initiatives aimed at securing peace in the Middle East, indicating they have shown backing for his proposed Peace Board.“If Hamas doesn’t do what they promised they will do – I think they probably will – but they were born with rifles in their hands,” he said.“They have to give up their weapons, and if they don’t do that – it is going to be the end of them,” he added.Several close US partners, notably France and Britain, have voiced doubts, with London announcing on Thursday that it would skip the event. Others, however, have confirmed their participation, especially from the Middle East, where Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt—countries seen as friendly to Trump—have agreed to attend.
Who’s on Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ so far
A senior Trump administration official said on Wednesday that around 35 world leaders have confirmed so far, from roughly 50 invitations that were sent out.Countries that have agreed:
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Egypt
- Hungary
- Indonesia
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Morocco
- Pakistan
- Qatar
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
The announcement of the board comes amid Trump’s visible frustration over failing to secure the Nobel Peace Prize, despite his contested assertion that he helped bring an end to eight conflicts.
