Trump announced the establishment of the board — which he touted as “the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place” — on Friday as a key part of his 20-point plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas.
The French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot specifically noted on Monday the remit of the board’s charter “in Gaza and elsewhere” and the “very extensive powers” granted to the chairman as point of concerns. According to Barrot, Trump, as the board’s chairman, would be able to approve the participation of members, choose his own successor and veto decisions taken by a majority of members.
“This is very, very far from the Charter of the United Nations,” he said during a speech to French academics in Paris.
Trump’s “Board of Peace” is facing a separate controversy developing over the a $1 billion fee member countries are expected to pay if they want to remain as permanent members beyond three years.
Canada will join but won’t pay for the permanent seat, Prime Minister Mark Carney said.
Trump has also extended invitations to join the board to Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as Albania, Argentina, Egypt, Hungary, India, Turkey and Vietnam. Despite Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, the Russian President Vladimir Putin has also received an invitation, the Kremlin said on Monday.