Around 60 countries have been invited to participate in US President Donald Trump’s new international ‘peacebuilding’ organisation, called the Board of Peace, that critics argue will be used to undermine or even replace the UN multilateral system.
A ceremony for the signing of the Board’s Charter is due to take place on Thursday, January 22, in Davos, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.
President Nikos Christodoulides will not be attending but the question remains hanging, will Cyprus join or will it refuse to participate as France, Norway and Sweden have already done, inviting the wrath of Trump. The US President suggested he’ll slap massive tariffs on Champagne after French President Emmanuel Macron criticised the initiative.
To date, reports suggest Hungary, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Argentina, Israel, Morocco, Kazakhstan and Belarus have agreed to join, while the remaining 50-odd countries and organisations (including the EU) have kept mum for now.
France says ‘non’ to ‘unacceptable proposal’
French Ambassador Clélia Chevrier Kolačko told Politis to the point that France wishes to work with the US in the service of world peace and security, but has no hesitation to say ‘no’ when it makes an unacceptable proposal.
The ambassador noted that the Board of Peace, as approved by UN Security Council Resolution 2803 last November, was meant to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, but this Board’s Charter goes beyond that. While France wants to support implementation of the US peace plan for Gaza, it does not want to create an organisation that would replace the UN, said the French diplomat.
“What we see here is that the Board is creating an organisation which is in competition with the UN,” she said, adding that the Board’s Charter has many worrying aspects and raises many questions, including on values, veto powers and permanent membership.
Can Cyprus say ‘no’?
Speaking to Politis to the point, a diplomatic source acknowledged that Cyprus was still considering the invite to participate, noting that it would be very difficult to reject it.
If the US position on acquiring Greenland, despite the protests of both Denmark and Greenland, leads to a rupture in the transatlantic relationship, then Cyprus would have an easier time politely declining to join.
But if the Greenland issue gets smoothed over, then the source argues Cyprus would have a hard time saying ‘no’ to Trump.
Mavroyiannis: ‘Catastrophic’ if Cyprus joins
Cyprus’ former representative to the United Nations and current member of the UN International Law Commission, Andreas Mavroyiannis was adamant that Cyprus had no choice but to refuse to join the Board of Peace.
“It would be catastrophic if Mr Christodoulides were to accept to participate. I expect that no serious democratic country will ever accept to participate in such a thing.”
Mavroyiannis pointed to the Board’s Charter, noting that it bestows powers to the ‘Chairman’, that is, Donald Trump, that “even emperors, or the most authoritarian regimes do not have”.
While the Charter refers to setting up an international organisation, when it comes to decision-making, even if the majority of the Board are in favour of a policy, “everything is subject to approval by Trump”.
One-man rule
The former diplomat clarifies that Trump is Chairman in his individual capacity, not as President of the United States of America.
The Times of Israel published the ‘verified’ text of the Board of Peace Charter. Under Chapter 3 on Governance, Article 3.2 states: “Donald J. Trump shall serve as inaugural Chairman of the Board of Peace, and he shall separately serve as inaugural representative of the United States of America, subject only to the provisions of Chapter III.”
As for succession, Article 3.3 stipulates that the Chairman will designate a successor. The Chairman can only be replaced “following voluntary resignation or as a result of incapacity, as determined by a unanimous vote of the Executive Board,” the members of which are “leaders of global stature” selected by the Chairman, and led by a Chief Executive, nominated by the Chairman. The Chairman also gets to veto any decisions of the Executive Board at any point after they come into effect.
The Chairman is also the final authority on the meaning, interpretation, and application of the Charter when it comes to resolving internal disputes within the Board of Peace.
Alternative peacebuilding body
Mavroyiannis further argues that the idea of the Board of Peace came about as a vehicle to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, but instead, Trump has broader ambitions to use the Board in opposition to the UN. Gaza is not even mentioned in the Charter.
“It’s one thing to participate in the reconstruction of Gaza and another thing to participate in an organisation trying to present itself as alternative to the UN, which also has just one leader and decision-maker, Trump.”
This is also hinted in the Charter’s Preamble, which declares that “durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common-sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed”.
In a worrying sign for Cyprus which has hosted UN Good Offices for a very long time, the Preamble laments that “too many approaches to peace-building foster perpetual dependency, and institutionalize crisis rather than leading people beyond it”.
The Charter emphases “the need for a more nimble and effective international peace-building body” whose mission will be “to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict”.
Regarding membership, only those invited by the Chairman can join for three years, subject to renewal by the Chairman. To guarantee a permanent spot, members can contribute $1 billion to the Board in their first year.
Demise of the UN?
“Are we going to participate in the destruction of the UN Charter and the system put in place after the Second World War,” asked Mavroyiannis, adding, “As a UN member, Cyprus has the obligation to respect the UN Charter.”
“It would be a very serious mistake for Cyprus to be involved in this kind of thing,” he said. Especially for a country like Cyprus with strong links to the UN, peacekeeping, and the legality of “Security Council resolutions that form the basis of all our efforts”.
He called on the Cypriot government not to rush into a decision, but to consult with its European partners, such as the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
The former diplomat acknowledged that Cyprus is in a tricky position but that does not mean it cannot say ‘No’ to Trump.
‘Cyprus in a trap’
“I was baffled to see our first reaction, when we said that this is a recognition of the role of Cyprus. We find ourselves in a trap, but if we don’t stop it now, it will get worse.”
He adds: “I understand we don’t want to be on the list of countries that don’t do all the favours Trump asks for. But the minimum we can do is to ask for a number of assurances, that the Board of Peace is not competing with the UN, that it’s consistent with international law and the UN charter. A lot of questions have to be answered before agreeing.”
Considering that a signing ceremony is taking place in Davos on Thursday, that doesn’t leave Cyprus with much time.
The Charter notes that it “shall enter into force upon expression of consent to be bound by three States.”
Even this makes no sense in terms of international law, concluded Mavroyiannis.