US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 200 per cent tariff on French wines and champagnes to push French President Emmanuel Macron to join his Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts.
When asked by a reporter about Macron saying he will not join the board, Trump said, “Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon.”
“I’ll put a 200 per cent tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join, but he doesn’t have to join,” Trump said.
France intends to decline the invitation to join the initiative at this stage, a source close to Macron said.
Trump originally proposed establishing the Board of Peace when he announced in September his plan to end the war in Gaza.
But an invitation sent to world leaders last week outlines a broad role ending conflicts globally.
A draft charter sent to about 60 nations, including Australia, by the US administration calls for members to contribute $US1 billion ($A1.5 billion) in cash if they want their membership to last more than three years, according to the document seen by Reuters.
Governments reacted cautiously to Trump’s invitation, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations.
Trump also said he has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to be a member of the peace board.
The Kremlin is now studying the details and will seek clarity on “all the nuances” in contacts with the US, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Israel has been asked to join while Belarus, Slovenia, Thailand and the European Union’s executive arm are among the latest to receive invitations.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI accepted a spot on Monday, becoming the first Arab leader and at least the fifth world leader to join. Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Hungary and Argentina also have signed on.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is ready to take part, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry. The Thai Foreign Ministry said it was invited and reviewing the details.
European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the commission, would be speaking to other EU leaders about Gaza.
Gill didn’t say whether its invitation had been accepted, but the commission wants “to contribute to a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict”.
Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday dismissed the Board of Peace as a raw deal for Israel and called for its dissolution.
“It is time to explain to the president that his plan is bad for the State of Israel and to cancel it,” Smotrich said.
“Gaza is ours, its future will affect our future more than anyone else’s. We will take responsibility for what happens there, impose military administration, and complete the mission.”
Netanyahu said later on Monday that while there are differences with the US about the composition of the advisory committee accompanying the next phase in Gaza, it would not harm his relationship with Trump.
“There will not be Turkish soldiers and Qatari soldiers in the (Gaza) Strip,” he said.
The US is expected to announce its official list of members in the coming days, likely during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
With AP