Irish Government ‘at one’ on joining Donald Trump’s Board of Peace – minister

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, Press Association

The Irish Government is “at one” on the issue of whether the country should join Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace, foreign affairs minister Helen McEntee has said.

She said the Government has asked for clarification on whether the group’s remit could focus solely on Gaza.

The board approved by the UN in November had expected to be a small group of figures overseeing the ceasefire in the Middle East, but it appears to have evolved into a wider organisation.

At a signing event held at Davos on Thursday, the US president said the group had the chance to be “one of the most consequential bodies ever created”, and that he was “honoured” to be its chairman.

We have been asking for clarifications on whether or not the remit could focus solely on Gaza, so if that doesn't change, I think the Tanaiste is right. We don't see a way in which we can join this

Among the inaugural signatories to the board are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Irish premier Micheal Martin said while there are concerns about it, Ireland is “anxious to contribute to conflict resolution” in Gaza, while deputy premier Simon Harris told the Irish Parliament he cannot see “any scenario” in which Ireland joins the board in its current guise.

Ahead of hosting a forum to discuss diversifying trade in Ireland amid global uncertainty, Ms McEntee was asked if the Government cannot agree on whether it should join the group.

“I would say the Taoiseach, Tanaiste, the Government is at one on this issue,” she said outside Government Buildings in Dublin.

“We are very clear that the Board of Peace, as it was voted for in the UN Security Council, was to focus solely on Gaza, on the next stages of the peace plan, on rebuilding Gaza, but what has become very clear and apparent is that it has a much wider remit.

“We have been asking for clarifications on whether or not the remit could focus solely on Gaza, so if that doesn’t change, I think the Tanaiste is right. We don’t see a way in which we can join this.”

She said clarification is being sought on a number of issues, including the 1 billion US dollar price tag for joining.

“We cannot join a structure that essentially will try to mimic or undermine the UN Security Council,” she said.

“We do have to get clarification on a number of things, and one of them being the price tag, I suppose, or the request of financial support that is due to come in after three years of membership.

“So again, it’s not clear if the board’s main focus is on Gaza, on the reconstruction of Gaza.

“We would hope that so much progress can be made within those three years, so what happens after that. So the reason that we’re not saying no to this immediately is, I think we need to get more answers. We need to get more clarification.”