Irish Govt examining Trump's 'Board of Peace' invitation

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the Government is "examining" an invitation by US President Donald Trump to join his so-called Board of Peace, which is ostensibly being created to oversee the peace process in Gaza but which the US President also wants to use in a broader conflict resolution context, writes Europe Editor Tony Connelly.

Only one EU member state - Hungary - has agreed to join the board.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Taoiseach said: "There are issues that we will examine in respect of it."

He added that the Government welcomed the second phase of the Gaza peace process. However, he said he wanted to see a dramatic escalation in humanitarian aid into Gaza.

A number of EU member states have declined an invitation to join the board, largely because of concerns over Mr Trump's prominent role, including veto powers, and its potential to pose a challenge to the primacy of the United Nations.

There have also been concerns over the invitations extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin - who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes - and the Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also agreed to join the board.

Mr Martin said: "We will consult with our European partners this evening and over the next while, in terms of our contribution to the peace process."

"Our principal focus at the moment is to try and contribute to the peace process in the Middle East, given our own experience in conflict resolution, and we believe that the level of humanitarian aid is not going into the degree that it should."

Britain, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Italy and Slovenia have declined the 'Board of Peace' invitation, while France is expected to decline. Mr Trump threatened tariffs of 200% on French wine and champagne after President Emmanuel Macron indicated his country would not join the board.

The Taoiseach acknowledged it had been a "very, very difficult" week for transatlantic relations, and the crisis over Greenland had spurred momentum towards greater European autonomy.

"Europe needs to develop stronger self-reliance across the board," he told reporters. "That is clear, and already that has been happening in respect of the impact of the war in Ukraine. That has really transformed the whole psychology around European security."

Mr Martin said he would travel to Washington for St Patrick's Day to reflect the strength in the US-Irish relationship.

"Economically, [and] in terms of history, Ireland and the US have a very, very strong, robust, good relationship. Economically, [it's] very critical in terms of the number of jobs that are created both ways: Irish companies create jobs in America, multinationals from America create many thousands of jobs in Ireland."

The Taoiseach said he did not agree with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's view that the referral by the European Parliament of the EU-Mercosur trade deal to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) was "regrettable".

He said the referral reflected "a deep concern" about the impact of Latin American agricultural produce, in particular beef, on European markets.

He also rejected the idea that the European Commission could apply the Mercosur deal provisionally, pending the outcome of the ECJ referral, a process which could take 18 months.

"We have to respect the democratic processes within Europe, in my view, and there was a process entered into," he said. "The parliament has taken its decision and that must be respected."

However, he added: "The move by the [European] Commission in particular to have trade deals across the world has been beneficial, and it's understandable in the context of counteracting what has been a protectionist trend, and increased tariffs from others."

He said the EU-Canada trade deal CETA had been "particularly successful", with other promising trade agreements, such as with India, in the pipeline.

The European Commission has warned that a delay - or failure - to ratify the EU-Mercosur deal in the European Parliament will convince other trade partners that the EU cannot be trusted to conclude negotiated agreements, and that it will push Latin America into the arms of China.