WASHINGTON--U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday "you got to let the U.N. continue" when asked about his plans for a so-called "Board of Peace" that has alarmed international experts.
Governments around the world have reacted cautiously to Trump's invitation to join that initiative that the U.S. president says aims to resolve conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations.
"Might," Trump said when asked by a reporter if he wanted the "Board of Peace to replace the U.N."
"The U.N. just hasn't been very helpful. I am a big fan of the U.N. potential but it has never lived up to its potential," Trump said in a briefing.
"I believe you got to let the U.N. continue because the potential is so great," he added.
The White House on Friday named some individuals who will sit on the board, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
A U.N. Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorized the so-called "Board of Peace" and countries working with it to establish an international stabilization force in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire began in October under a Trump plan on which Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas had signed off. Under Trump's Gaza plan, the board was meant to supervise Gaza's temporary governance. Trump thereafter said the board would be expanded to tackle conflicts around the world.
Observers say such a board could undermine the United Nations. Many rights experts and advocates have also said that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory's affairs resembled a colonial structure, while Blair's involvement has been criticized due to his role in the Iraq war and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East.
The ceasefire in Gaza reached under Trump's plan has also been fragile. Over 460 Palestinians, including more than 100 children, and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since the truce began in October.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed an agreement on Tuesday to join the Board of Peace, the latest step in a rapprochement with Washington after years of international isolation. A presidential Telegram channel published video of Lukashenko signing the document, and quoted him as saying he hoped to contribute towards peace in Ukraine.
Lukashenko, in power since 1994, was long shunned by the West because of his poor human rights record and backing for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the war in Ukraine. But Trump last year began easing sanctions on Belarus in return for the release of political prisoners. He has called Lukashenko a "highly respected" leader - a description that jars with the exiled Belarus opposition, which sees him as a dictator.
The invitation to join the Board of Peace marked a further stage in the U.S. rehabilitation of Lukashenko as it continues to negotiate with him on further prisoner releases and a normalisation of ties.
On Monday Trump said he had invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to be a member of the Board.On Tuesday, Armenia said it would also join. Trump has claimed credit for ending a long-running conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have fought two wars since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
