Slovenia declines to join Trump’s Board of Peace
Slovenia has decided not to join US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace at this stage, echoing concerns by other European allies over the expanded remit of the board and the possibility that the newly formed body may replace the UN.
Senior officials indicated in recent days that Slovenia would not accept Trump's invitation to take part in the Board of Peace, and the government made a formal decision not to join the board, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.
Chaired by Trump, the board was initially meant to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, but its purpose has since been expanded to tackle conflicts worldwide. The charter draft, proposed by the White House, does not even mention Gaza.
While not being limited to Gaza, the board's concept raises fundamental questions about the principles and structure of the UN system, which Slovenia cannot accept, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said.
Slovenia remains committed to multilateralism, a ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution that would ensure the safe coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians. It continues consultations with its EU partners and conducting legal reviews on how the board's remit could be narrowed to Gaza while ensuring respect for the UN's principles and rules, she added.
Deputy Prime Minister lambastes Trump's actions
Labour Minister Luka Mesec, who also serves as deputy prime minister, was more direct in criticising Trump's actions. He accused the US president of using his power to dismantle the international order established after WWII, describing Trump as the biggest threat to global peace.
According to Mesec, Trump is making demands regarding Greenland because European prime ministers easily gave in to his pressure to allocate 5% of GDP for NATO, and because, unlike China, the EU does not announce retaliatory tariffs when he announces new tariffs.
If Europe does not take a firm stand against Trump's strongly anti-European policy, the consequences will be dire, Mesec said.
Earlier this week Prime Minister Robert Golob received Trump's invitation to join the Board of Peace, but the Slovenian head of government said a couple of days later it was not yet time for Slovenia to join the board, arguing its mandate was too broad and could undermine the UN-based international order.
He added that Slovenia would accept to participate in a board with a more narrow remit that would address the post-war reconstruction of Gaza and perhaps the West Bank.
Slovenian military officers to travel to Greenland this weekend
Slovenia also recently joined several other European countries by sending two military officers to Greenland to take part in a Denmark-led mission amid controversy over Trump's plan to take over the island. The officers will head to Greenland this weekend and will initially be there for a few days with further decisions to be made according to needs.
Since then, Trump has said the US is exploring a potential deal on Greenland after talks with NATO. He ruled out using military force to acquire the island and walked back threats to tariff European allies that had opposed his Greenland plans. Regarding the Board of Peace, he said it would work with the UN.
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek/STA
