Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is reported to be balking at U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand to pay a billion-dollar fee for the privilege of a permanent seat on his Gaza Board of Peace. Blair declined to endorse the request for the funds, which is part of a draft charter for the nascent organization, in a further sign that the details of the peace board are provoking opposition from U.S. allies and partners over Trump’s project, Bloomberg reported yesterday. A spokesperson for Blair said Sunday he isn’t involved in determining the board’s membership, indicating he would not publicly support the proposal.
Bloomberg reports further that some countries would likely refuse to join the Board as a result of Trump’s terms, citing “people familiar with the matter.” Others may agree in principle to joining the Board of Peace but decline to pay the fee for permanent membership, they added. They would then either seek to negotiate it away or quit the board if Trump insisted on the idea, Bloomberg’s sources said. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Jan. 18 he had agreed in principle to joining the board but not to the payments.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters this morning that Russian President Vladimir Putin has received an invitation to join the Board of Peace. “President Putin has indeed received an offer through diplomatic channels to join this Board of Peace. We are currently studying all the details of this proposal,” Peskov said in response to a question from TASS. “We hope to contact the U.S. side to clarify all the details,” he added.
