Although most EU Member States and the Union itself have been invited to take part in the Board of Peace (see EUROPE 13789/23), they are divided on the response to be given. Although a European diplomat said on Thursday 22 January that the Member States had agreed at ambassadorial level to the EU that coordination was needed, a European source said to not expect a coordinated response from the Europeans on their participation in this Board.
While Hungary and Bulgaria took part in the signing ceremony of the Board of Peace’s Fundamental Charter on Thursday, along with around twenty other countries, several Member States, including France and Spain, have so far refused to join.
“We have serious doubts about a number of elements in the charter of the Board of Peace related to its scope, its governance and its compatibility with the UN Charter”, explained the President of the European Council, António Costa, at the end of the informal European Council on Thursday.
“The proposals as presented go beyond what many Member States can accept”, added Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden. According to the Irish Prime Minister, Micheál Martin, the US proposal for the Board is “very different from that initially envisaged by the UN resolution”.
However, “we are ready to work together with the US on the implementation of the comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, with a Board of Peace carrying out its mission as a transitional administration, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2803”, said Mr Costa.
The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriákos Mitsotákis, proposed that the countries invited to participate in the Board of Peace should sign up, but only for the question concerning the next phase of the peace process in Gaza and for the necessary duration. “We want Europe to be present. And I think that (the High Representative) Kaja Kallas, as well as many other countries, have found the idea of examining - if not direct participation, which may be legally complex - then at least taking European initiatives so that this Board of Peace returns to its original purpose”, he explained. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with the editorial staff)