Canada won't pay $1 billion for Trump's Board of Peace, France plans to decline invite

A Canadian government source close has revealed that Canada has decided to not pay $1 billion for a permanent seat at Donald Trump's ‘Board of Peace’, initially conceived to oversee rebuilding of Gaza. Meanwhile, France has also decided to decline the US President's invite to join the initiative, a source close to President Emmanuel Macron revealed.

“Canada will not pay for a seat on the board, nor has that been requested of Canada at this time,” the government source said, AFP reported. Prime Minister Mark Carney had earlier indicated that Canada would accept an invitation to join the body.

France “does not intend to answer favourably” to the invitation, the source was quoted by the news agency.

The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of war-torn Gaza, but the charter does not appear to limit its role to the occupied Palestinian territory.

According to the draft charter, the board would be chaired for life by Donald Trump and start by addressing the Gaza conflict and then be expanded to deal with other conflicts.

The source from France said that the charter “goes beyond the sole framework of Gaza.”

“It raises major questions, particularly regarding respect for the principles and structure of the United Nations, which under no circumstances can be called into question,” they added. France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and had also reiterated its commitment to the UN.

Its foreign ministry said, “This remains the keystone of effective multilateralism, where international law, the sovereign equality of states, and the peaceful settlement of disputes prevail over arbitrariness, power politics and war.” Also Read | India invited by Trump to join proposed ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will join the "Board of Peace" proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, their press secretaries said on Monday.

Trump has invited 60 countries to join the “Board of Peace”. Permanent membership will be available to those who pay $1 billion.

“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. 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 draft said, Bloomberg reported.

Earlier Monday, its foreign ministry issued a statement reiterating France's commitment to the UN.

(With agency inputs)