Malta weighing invitation to join Trump's 'Board of Peace'

Updated 9.20pm

Malta is seeking legal advice following an invitation to form part of US President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ initiative, the prime minister said on Monday.

Robert Abela confirmed that Malta has been invited to take part in the initiative, as all other EU countries have, and said he did not rule it out.

If taking part was in the “national interest’ then Malta would join, he said in response to questions from PN MP Mario de Marco.

Should Malta choose to join, it would join 19 other countries that have agreed to take part in the controversial initiative. Within Europe, only Hungary and Bulgaria have agreed to join.

Ostensibly set up as a peace initiative to administer post-war Gaza, critics say the initiative is Trump’s attempt to sidestep the United Nations Security Council and develop an alternative in which only he has veto power. 

Trump has said the board could "spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza," and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the "possibilities are endless."

The board's charter lists Donald Trump, in his personal capacity, as chairman for life. Countries can join for three-year terms, renewable at Trump's discretion. To become permanent members, countries must pay a $1 billion membership fee to a Trump-controlled fund. 

Abela told parliament that the government has sought legal advice on the initiative and could join irrespective of the EU’s overall position on it. He said he had spoken to that effect when addressing other European leaders last week.  

"We might make a decision that is different from the other members, but we are still evaluating it,” said Abela. He acknowledged "differences in opinion" about the board but said it could also lead to being a "point of convergence with the USA". 

Malta, he said, favoured open dialogues and cooperation with the United States. And while the decision about joining or declining the Board of Peace invitation was not an overnight decision, “we should see it as an opportunity," he said. 

The country would be in favour of peace and peace initiatives irrespective of where they stemmed from, he added, adding Malta currently has its "best-ever" relationship with both the US and the EU.

Most EU member states have distanced themselves from the Trump-led board, and the European Council has made it clear it has serious reservations about the initiative. 

"We have serious doubts about a number of elements in the charter of the Board of Peace related to its scope, its governance and its compatibility with the UN Charter," European Council president Antonio Costa said last week after an EU leaders' summit in Brussels.

Abela slams embassy vigil plans

In extremely heated remarks, the prime minister also slammed plans to hold a vigil outside the US embassy on Tuesday evening, attacking organisers Repubblika in the process. 

"Have all the vigils you want, the country is not behind you," he said, describing the NGO as a "branch of the Opposition". 

Abela said he "completely disagreed" with the vigil plan and dissociated his government from it.

The Repubblika-led vigil, which has also been endorsed by political party Momentum, is focused on concerns about brutality by US law enforcement in enforcing deportation orders, following the killing of two civilians by ICE officers. 

'We must be very cautious'

In his address, Abela warned that the issue between the US and Greenland has not yet concluded and, therefore, “we must be very cautious in our words, in our actions, and consistently understand that we are facing a geopolitical situation the world has not seen in recent decades”.

He encouraged members of the House to be “measured and seek to participate in efforts of de-escalation and not in statements that may sound good at first glance but have no political value and do no good”.

Abela said he was disappointed in the Opposition for using the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs to attack the government at such a sensitive time. 

Opposition leader Alex Borg said he agreed that last week’s meeting happened in “a moment of international uncertainty”.

He said the US President was making “concerning declarations” when it comes to the EU, NATO and Greenland.

Borg took the opportunity to remind the House that the EU is based on the “respect of law, the respect of sovereignty and the respect of territorial integrity".

He stressed that Greenland’s future should only be decided by Greenlanders themselves. He added that any form of pressure or intimidation from any other country was considered abuse by the international community and should never be accepted by the community.

“When sovereignty is treated as a negotiable and when territorial integrity is treated superficially, it is always the small states that pay the price,” said Borg.

'Simply disgusting': ADPD

ADPD said in a statement on Monday evening that Abela's comments about the peace board raise serious questions about Malta's position on international diplomacy and the role it seeks to play in the ongoing global crises.

"Joining a so-called ‘Board of Peace’ with a self-appointed ‘president for life’, and led by the US President, who claims to want ‘peace’ when he facilitated the provision of US missiles and weapons to raze Gaza to the ground and enable the Israeli genocide, is simply disgusting.

"Abela’s proposal also conflicts with Malta’s declaration recognising Palestinian statehood," the party said in a statement. 

The party's chair Sandra Gauci, and international secretary Mark Zerafa expressed hope that the PL has "the proverbial balls" to say no to Abela.

"Say no to Malta giving money to Trump for his Gaza real estate speculation operation. The recognition of the Palestinian State is not enough - we must give dignity to the Palestinian people despite the manipulation and the collective amnesia we are witnessing in relation to the massacre that continues in Palestine". 

Abela, they said, should be ashamed of even considering joining Trump’s "disgusting project".

'Thank you, but we're not interested': Momentum

Reacting to news that Malta was mulling joining the peace board, Momentum's Arnold Cassola wrote on Facebook: "Thank you very much, President Trump, but we're not interested".

"Momentum believes in the UN Charter to which Malta is a signatory. We believe in real multilateralism and not this ego-boosting attempt at undermining the international rule of law.

"Prime Minister Abela, Malta is a parliamentary democracy. We are not interested in being on a board with autocrats from Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and so on."