India Attends 1st Meet Of Trump's Board Of Peace In Washington As Observer

A week after the Ministry of External Affairs said it was reviewing the US invitation to join President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, India attended the new organisation's first meeting on Thursday as an observer country and was represented by its Charge d'Affaires at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, Namgya C Khampa.

The Board of Peace had been rolled out by Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month and he had insisted that "everyone wants to be a part" of the body, which could eventually rival the United Nations. The Board was initially envisioned as an organisation that would oversee the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as rebuild and play a role in the governance of the strip. The US president's ambitions for it have ballooned since.

Officials from nearly 50 countries participated in the meeting at the US Institute of Peace in Washington. Of these, 27 countries, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, are part of the board while the rest, including India and the European Union, participated as observers.

After it received an invitation to be part of the Board, India did not comment on whether it would accept and also stayed away from its launch in Davos. Then, on February 12, the Ministry of External Affairs said the proposal was under consideration.

"As far as the Board of Peace is concerned, we have received an invitation from the US government to join. We are currently considering this proposal and reviewing it," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, adding India has always supported efforts that promote peace in West Asia. 

"Our Prime Minister has also welcomed all such initiatives that pave the way for long-term and lasting peace in the entire region, including Gaza. So, with regard to the invitation to join the Board of Peace, we are presently reviewing it," he had said.

The presence of the Charge d'Affaires at Thursday's meeting, however, made it clear that India is willing to engage with the Board even if it is not ready to be a full-fledged member yet. 

Outcomes

At the meeting, Trump said nine members - Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait - have agreed to pledge a combined $7 billion towards a relief package for Gaza. He also announced that the US is pledging $10 billion for the Board of Peace, but didn't specify what this money would be spent on. 

Major General Jasper Jeffers, the commander of the international security force, said Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania, pledged to send thousands of troops to Gaza, while Egypt and Jordan have said they will train personnel. 

Amid concerns that Trump intended to use the Board as a counterweight to the United Nations Security Council, the US President said the country will "work again with the United Nations".

"We're going to bring them back. I think the United Nations has great potential, really great potential. It has not lived up to potential... Someday, I won't be here. The United Nations is going to be much stronger. The Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly," he said. 

"We are going to strengthen the United Nations. We are going to make sure its facilities are good. They need help, and they need help money-wise. We're going to help them money-wise, and we're going to make sure the United Nations is viable," he added.

(With inputs from AP, PTI)