Trump to charge US$1 billion for permanent 'board of peace' membership
The offer of permanent membership for US$1 billion shows Trump is "trying to turn it into a pay-to-play alternative to the UN Security Council" but where he alone exercises veto power, says a professor of international affairs.
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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump's government has asked countries to pay US$1 billion for a permanent spot on his "board of peace" aimed at resolving conflicts, according to its charter, seen Monday (Jan 19) by AFP.
The White House has asked various world leaders to sit on the board, chaired by Trump himself, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Member countries - represented on the board by their head of state - would be allowed to join for three years - or longer if they paid more than US$1 billion within the first year, the charter says.
"Each member state shall serve a term of no more than three years from this charter's entry into force, subject to renewal by the chairman," the board's draft charter says.
"The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than US$1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the board of peace within the first year of the charter’s entry into force."
The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, but its charter does not appear to limit its role to the occupied Palestinian territory.
The White House said there would be a main board, a Palestinian committee of technocrats meant to govern devastated Gaza, and a second "executive board" that appears designed to have a more advisory role.
"The board of peace is an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict," the charter says.
LUKEWARM REACTIONS
The initial reaction from two key allies, France and Canada, was lukewarm.
"At this stage, France cannot accept," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Monday during a debate with French lawmakers, noting that the board's charter goes beyond the scope of rebuilding and running post-war Gaza endorsed by the United Nations.
He added that it is "incompatible with France's international commitments and in particular its membership in the United Nations, which obviously cannot be called into question under any circumstances".
France is one of the five veto-wielding, permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with the United States, China, Russia and Britain.
A Canadian government source said Ottawa will not pay to be on the board, and hasn't gotten a request to pay, after Prime Minister Mark Carney indicated he would accept an invitation to join.
Paul Williams, professor of international affairs at George Washington University, told AFP that the offer of permanent membership for US$1 billion showed Trump is "trying to turn it into a pay-to-play alternative to the UN Security Council but where Trump alone exercises veto power".
"FAILED INSTITUTIONS"
The charter appears to take a swipe at the United Nations, saying that the new board should have "the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed."
Trump has regularly criticsed the United Nations and announced this month that his country will withdraw from 66 global organisations and treaties - roughly half affiliated with the UN.
The world body - which suffers chronic funding shortfalls and political deadlock in the Security Council - pushed back Monday.
La Neice Collins, spokesperson for the president of the UN General Assembly, told reporters "there is one universal, multilateral organization to deal with peace and security issues, and that is the United Nations".
Daniel Forti at the International Crisis Group, a think tank, said at least 60 countries have reportedly been invited to the "board of peace". He said some may view it as a way to curry favour with Trump, but many member states would see it as power grab.
"Actively buying permanent seats in an exclusive club sends a very worrying signal about what transactional and deals-based international diplomacy may mean in the future," he told AFP.
Trump would have the power to remove member states from the board, subject to a veto by two-third of members, and to choose his replacement should he leave his role as chairman.
Ian Lesser at the German Marshall Fund think tank told AFP he would be surprised if many countries are willing to sign up "at a time when most are focused on preserving the existing multilateral institutions".
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