Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the UK will not immediately sign up to the US President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace, over unease about the potential involvement of Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
The Trump-chaired board unveiled its 20-point plan proposal in September last year to end the Gaza conflict and temporarily manage the territory’s administration and reconstruction. But the board’s remit has now transformed and expanded, and the US President appears to be positioning it as a global rival to the United Nations.
The White House says around 30 countries are expected to sign up, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt and Israel. Trump said Putin had agreed to participate, although the Russian leader has yet to confirm this publicly and has previously said Moscow is still reviewing the proposal.
Nevertheless, speaking to the BBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Cooper confirmed Britain will not sign the agreement at the launch ceremony taking place in the Swiss town.
Why is the UK not on board at present?
“We won’t be one of the signatories today because this is about a legal treaty that raises much broader issues, and we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine,” Cooper told BBC Breakfast.
She said the proposal went far beyond its original aim of helping to end the Israel–Hamas conflict in Gaza, describing it as a legally binding international agreement with wider implications.
“Given the clear divide on European vs US views on Greenland, I believe that dispute is now colouring other affairs such as the formation of the Board of Peace,” said Dr Alexander Gilder, associate professor of international law and security at the University of Reading.
“I would suspect the UK wishes to be seen as standing alongside European allies at this time. The UK sees European security as a key priority and this decision appears to prioritise those European relationships rather than direct involvement in the Board of Peace in Gaza.”
The draft charter drawn up by the White House makes no reference to Palestinian territories and appears intended to assume responsibilities currently held by the United Nations. Trump was delivering his charter announcement at Davos on Thursday. Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair, who has been appointed to the “executive board” charged with “operationalising” its vision regarding Gaza’s post-war transition, was in Switzerland for the announcement.
Cooper said that while she supported the plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza, there had been no indication that Putin was prepared to commit to peace in Ukraine, echoing concerns raised by other UK cabinet ministers in recent days.
Gilder said: “The reports that Putin has been invited to take part in this Board of Peace definitely signals that there is potentially ideas in the minds of the US administration that the board would have a role in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
“Obviously Ukraine, I don’t imagine, would be very happy about that.”
If the board does then take on a role beyond Gaza, Gilder believes that this will put it in conflict with the UN.
He said: “That could open a can of worms around the effectiveness of the UN and the Security Council versus the Board of Peace, and in my view, I think that’s probably part of what President Trump wants to achieve.”
He added: “Maybe we’re going to see a split over the next couple of days, with perhaps a few more traditional US allies joining, and several others choosing not to.
“So part of the worry there is how does that then fracture other alliances, like Nato, which obviously has been under pressure with Greenland. Trump has also invited more traditional, Nato allies such as the UK and France, but may find himself snubbed by the Europeans.”
What are other countries saying?
It’s not clear how many countries have been invited to join Trump’s new body, but the UK isn’t alone with the unease. So far, France and Sweden have publicly ruled out participation, warning that the board could duplicate and weaken the UN’s position as the main mediator in Gaza and elsewhere.
Denmark has also said it will not take part, against the backdrop of strained relations with Washington over Greenland.
Hungary remains the sole EU country to voice support. Italy has taken a more cautious stance, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni saying Rome is interested in the idea but unable to commit immediately because of constitutional limitations.
On Wednesday, the Vatican confirmed Pope Leo had received an invitation with the Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin noting the Pontiff would take time to decide.
The European Commission has also received an invitation, sent directly to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. That outreach has been put on hold while EU leaders work toward a unified position.
The UAE, Bahrain, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco and Vietnam have already signed up.
What could come next?
Dr Toby Greene, political analyst and author of Blair, Labour and Palestine, said: “The Board of Peace as we originally knew it was a Trump proposal that was then embedded into a UN Security Council Resolution, which everybody thought was about the Gaza Strip.
“Now the Board of Peace seems to have morphed into some kind of body that seeks to fulfil some functions that are currently the responsibility of the United Nations… That’s quite a puzzling transformation for many people.
“Trump never gives up an opportunity to remind people of the eight wars he has supposedly stopped, and he may see the board as a way to add to his tally, setting his eyes upon Ukraine next.”
But Trump’s moves to expand the board have overshadowed what it was originally created for, which is to secure peace in Gaza.
Gilder said that he thinks it will provide short-term stability, but with a lack of representation of either side of the conflict on the board, it will be very difficult to establish a long-term peace.
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What role the UK will play in attempting to establish this peace is still yet to be seen.
However, Greene pointed out that: “The UK has a legacy of being involved in training Palestinian police in the West Bank, which could be significant when it comes to introducing an alternative Palestinian Governance structure to Hamas inside the Gaza Strip.”
He added: “But obviously, critical to being able to play a significant role is being able to coordinate and work with the US government, Israeli government and Palestinian representatives.”
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