ROME, Jan 21 (Reuters) – Italy needs more time to decide whether to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” because parts of its statute appear incompatible with the constitution, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday.
“This does not allow us to sign tomorrow for sure, but we need more time. There is work that needs to be done. However, my position certainly remains one of openness,” Meloni told state broadcaster RAI.
Trump first proposed his Board of Peace last September when he announced a plan to end the Gaza war. He later said the board’s remit would be expanded beyond Gaza to tackle other conflicts worldwide, and that he would chair it for life.
Invitations have reportedly been sent to about 60 countries, with at least 25 agreeing to join the project. Many others, especially in the European Union, have either ruled it out or sought more time to decide.
Earlier on Wednesday, daily Corriere della Sera said Italy would not take part, citing concerns that joining a body led by a single foreign leader would breach constitutional rules requiring Rome to engage only in organisations where it enjoys equal terms with other states.
Diplomats have also warned the project could undermine the role of the United Nations. “There is a doubt about this, a doubt that I’ve read about,” Meloni said.
(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte and Angelo Amante, writing by Gavin Jones, editing by Alvise Armellini and Crispian Balmer)
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