United States President Donald Trump has launched his Peace Council, initially aimed at solidifying the ceasefire in Gaza, but which he said could have a broader role, which could worry other world powers, although he stressed that it would work in cooperation with the United Nations.
"When this board is fully formed, we will be able to do practically anything we want. And we will do it in cooperation with the United Nations," Trump said, adding that the UN has enormous potential that, according to him, has not been fully utilized.
Trump, who will chair the committee, has invited dozens of world leaders to join him, saying he wants to address challenges beyond the faltering Gaza ceasefire, stoking concerns that the new body could undermine the UN's role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution.
Other major world powers and traditional Western allies of the US have shown reservations about joining the Committee, which Trump says permanent members must fund with a payment of $1 billion each, and have responded cautiously or rejected the invitation.
Representatives of the countries that were presented as founding members were present in the hall as Trump spoke, but Reuters did not immediately spot representatives of the governments of other leading world powers, nor Israel or the Palestinian Authority.
The signing ceremony was held in Davos, where the annual World Economic Forum, which brings together global political and business leaders, is held.
Apart from the United States, no other permanent member of the UN Security Council - the five states that have wielded the greatest influence on international law and diplomacy since the end of World War II - has yet to commit to joining the Committee.
Russia said late Wednesday it was considering the proposal, after Trump said he would join. France has declined to participate. Britain said it was not joining for now. China has not yet said whether it will participate.
The formation of the Committee was supported by a UN Security Council resolution, as part of Trump's peace plan for Gaza, and UN spokesman Rolando Gomez said that the UN's engagement with the Committee would be solely in that context.
However, around 35 countries have pledged to join, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey and Belarus.
Montenegro has not received an invitation from the United States to join the Peace Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday to "Vijesti".
Few democracies are among the countries that have joined the Committee, although Israel and Hungary, whose leaders are considered close allies of Trump and supporters of his approach to politics and diplomacy, have announced that they will join.
"The United Nations has tremendous potential, and I think the combination of the Peace Committee with the people we have here... could be something really unique for the world," Trump said.
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