There are “very serious red flags” surrounding US president Donald Trump’s proposed board of peace, according to the Tánaiste.
Simon Harris said he does not believe there is any circumstance in which Ireland could participate in the group in its current form, reports RTE.
The board was originally expected to be a small body tasked with overseeing a ceasefire in the Middle East, but it has since appeared to expand into a much broader initiative, with dozens of countries invited to take part.
Speaking at a signing event hosted by Mr Trump in Davos on Thursday, he said the group had the “chance to be one of the most consequential bodies ever created” and added that he was “honoured” to act as its chair, reports RTE.
Mr Harris was questioned in the Dáil about whether Ireland could definitively rule out involvement in the group.
He said the proposal carries “very serious red flags”, including the absence of any reference to Gaza and the participation of Russian president Vladimir Putin, reports RTE.
“Anything Putin is considering joining with the word ‘peace’ in it does not sit well,” Mr Harris told the Dáil during Leaders’ Questions on Thursday.
He said the initial idea had been to establish a board to oversee a peace plan for Gaza that was endorsed by the United Nations in November, reports RTE.
Mr Harris said that at the time, Ireland and other European states “were eager to play a constructive role”, and that Ireland could contribute experience in areas such as conflict resolution and decommissioning.
“Let me also be very clear, what we are seeing today at this signing ceremony could not be further removed from that original conversation,” the Tánaiste said, reports RTE.
“What the Taoiseach (Micheál Martin) is doing on behalf of the Government by not turning up at the signing ceremony today is entirely responsible.
“My personal view and the view of Government colleagues is that we cannot see any scenario in which Ireland can participate in the so-called board of peace as currently constructed,” reports RTE.
He said no European leaders attended the signing ceremony apart from Trump ally Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, but added that the issue would likely be discussed further at the European Council on Thursday night.
Mr Harris was responding to questions raised by Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan, reports RTE.
He said the board should instead be called “the board of autocrats and war criminals” because of the involvement of Mr Putin, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko.
“To highlight the absurdity of this travesty, Netanyahu is unable to attend a signing ceremony for the board of peace today because as an indicted war criminal he fears being arrested if he turns up in Davos,” Mr O’Callaghan said, reports RTE.
He said that while a number of European countries had already ruled out joining the board, the Irish government had yet to do so.
“Among their number are Sweden, Norway, France, Slovenia and now the UK but incredibly the Tánaiste’s Government is still apparently mulling over whether or not it should sign up,” he said, reports RTE.
“This begs the question of whether there is any outrage perpetrated by Trump that it is willing to take a strong and principled stand on,” reports RTE.
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