US President Donald Trump’s government has asked countries to pay $1 billion for a permanent spot on his “Board of Peace” aimed at resolving conflicts, according to US media reports.
The White House has asked various world leaders to sit on the board, chaired by Trump himself, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban and Canada’s 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 contributed more than $1 billion within the first year, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the sum.
“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,” stated the board’s draft charter obtained by Bloomberg and other media.
“The three-year membership term shall not apply to member states that contribute more than USD $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, widely cited by US media, does not appear to limit its role to the Palestinian territory.
The White House said there would be a main board, a Palestinian committee of technocrats meant to govern the war-wracked territory, 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.
The document was sent to dozens of world leaders who were invited to join the board, The Times of Israel reported.
It appears to take a swipe at international institutions such as the United Nations, saying that the board should have “the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed”.
Trump has regularly criticised the United Nations and announced this month that his country will withdraw from 66 global organisations and treaties – roughly half affiliated with the UN.
Membership of the board would be “limited to states invited to participate by the chairman”, according to the full draft charter published by the Times of Israel.
Trump would have the power to remove member states from the board, subject to a veto by two-thirds of members, and choose his replacement should he leave his role as chairman.
The “Board of Peace” began to take shape on Saturday as the leaders of Egypt, Turkey, Argentina and Canada were asked to join.
Separately, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Monday discussed the regional developments and avenues for deeper bilateral cooperation.
“Both leaders looked forward to continuing their discussions on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said.
Moreover, Ishaq Dar met UK High Commissioner Jane Marriott during a call on paid by her at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The discussion focused on strengthening bilateral relations, with both sides appreciating frequent exchanges between Pakistan and UK. Regional issues and current international developments were also discussed, a DPM’s Office said.a
He also spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr. Badr Abdelatty on recent regional developments and ongoing bilateral and multilateral issues. “Both leaders emphasized the importance of continued dialogue and cooperation, and agreed to meet on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said.