Nearly half of the nations that constitute US President
Donald Trump’s newly inaugurated ‘Board of Peace’ face travel restrictions to
his country.
Trump signed the charter of the body, which intends to
resolve international conflicts, on the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic
Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
He said the board could become “one of the most
consequential bodies ever created”.
During the ceremony, 19 countries — mostly from the Middle
East, Asia and South America — joined the US president on stage.
They included officials from Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan,
Paraguay, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Turkey, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan,
Mongolia, Jordan, Argentina, Armenia, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and
Hungary.
Israel, Albania, Vietnam, Indonesia, Belarus agreed to come
on board but were missing from the ceremony.
But some of the board’s members are unable to freely travel
to the nation spearheading the peace effort.
Last week, the US state department directed consular
officers to pause immigrant visa processing for 75 countries from January 21,
pending a broad reassessment of screening and vetting procedures.
The tightened restrictions were made over concerns about
welfare dependence.
Some of the affected countries included Kazakhstan, Kosovo,
Pakistan, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Jordan, Armenia, Morocco, Azerbaijan,
Albania, and Belarus — 12 countries on Trump’s peace board.
It is unclear whether their participation in the initiative
will help bridge those divides.
Nigeria is also affected by the ban, but using a Board of
Peace membership leverage is not on the cards for the West African country,
having been omitted from the invitation list.
WHAT IS THE BOARD OF PEACE?
The initiative was part of Trump’s 20-point roadmap for
peace in Gaza. It was drafted last September for Israel and Hamas to sign on.
According to the plan, the ‘Board of Peace’ would comprise
international leaders that would ensure Hamas has no governing role in Gaza.
Instead, the enclave would be governed by the board,
alongside a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee”.
The United Nations Security Council backed the plan in
November, but an expansion of the plan now requires the board to promote
stability, peace, and governance “in areas affected or threatened by conflict”.
Concerns have been raised about the body duplicating the
role of the UN, a body Trump has repeatedly criticised.
The US president will serve as chairman of the board
indefinitely, according to the charter.
Member states will serve for three-year terms, after which
they must pay $1 billion for a permanent seat.
A US official told CNN that the funds raised will go towards
rebuilding Gaza.
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