Canada may join Trump’s Peace Board, but with key condition
Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
Canada may join US President Donald Trump’s Peace Board, but is not prepared to pay $1 billion to participate in it, states Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
“There [are] a lot of details to be worked out, but one thing which is clear is that Canada is not going to pay if we were to join the Board of Peace,” Champagne said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
He also noted that it is important to review all the details of the structure — how it will operate, what the funding is intended for, and related issues.
“We're still early days [into] that what's going to be the terms of reference of that board, how it's going to operate,” the Canadian finance minister added.
Member states of the board would be limited to three-year terms unless they pay $1 billion to fund the council’s activities and obtain permanent membership.
“The prime minister will have to make the final decision when all the facts are known and all the details have been hammered out — whether this is in the best interest of Canada,” Champagne emphasized.
What is known about Trump’s Peace Board
On January 15, Donald Trump announced his intention to create a so-called Peace Board, which would be responsible for overseeing post-war governance of the Gaza Strip.
Shortly thereafter, Trump sent official invitations to world leaders, inviting them to join the Peace Board on Gaza. In total, representatives of 49 countries, as well as the European Commission, received invitations.
On Sunday, January 18, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Donald Trump had invited Budapest to take part in the newly created Peace Board.
The following day, January 19, Russia stated that the US had approached Russian leader Vladimir Putin with a proposal to join the Peace Board on Gaza.
At the same time, Norway refused to join Donald Trump’s Peace Board, saying the initiative contradicts the United Nations' principles.
