Berlin rejects ‘peace council,’ backs the United Nations

The German government has received an official document from Washington in recent days outlining an initiative launched by US President Donald Trump to establish what he calls a “peace council”. The proposed new international body is meant to deal with a ceasefire in Gaza and manage other conflict files. However, German government sources said the content of the document went far beyond what Berlin had expected, prompting a cautious response that has led to Germany rejecting joining the initiative in its current form.

According to information circulating in European diplomatic circles, the “peace council charter” sent by the US administration to around 60 countries is not limited to the Gaza conflict. It instead proposes the creation of a new international organisation, with Trump himself as its founding president, granting him broad powers over membership and decision-making mechanisms. Berlin views this as a clear departure from the rules of the international system established since the Second World War.

Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine reported that the German government, which had been waiting in recent weeks for an official US clarification on the initiative, was surprised by the document’s content. Informed sources said Berlin believes the proposal undermines the foundations of international multilateralism and ignores the role of existing institutions, foremost among them the United Nations.  

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