Meloni Says Italy Won't Immediately Join Trumps Peace Project

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she won't immediately sign onto President Donald Trump's “Board of Peace” charter, signalling that doing so would create legal risks.

“Some elements are incompatible with our constitution and this prevents us from signing tomorrow,” she told Italian state television late Wednesday. “My position is still one of openness.”

Trump plans to hold a signing ceremony for the new institution at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. The board, intended as a forum to establish peace in Gaza, has worried allies who say it aims to supplant the United Nations. Most European Union governments have demurred on joining, at least in the near term. 

Meloni confronted doubts including the framework's compatibility with Italy's membership in international organizations, including the UN, according to people familiar with the matter. Internal assessments showed friction between the board and UN structures, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

Joining would have also required parliamentary assent and the approval of Italian President Sergio Mattarella, a potential lengthy process given the short time frame. 

Still, Meloni said it was still in Italy's and Europe's interest to join the initiative at some point, since not doing so would risk “self-exclusion.”

“We are in a context in which all our certainties are vanishing — or at risk of doing so,” she said. “It is in nobody's interest to drive a wedge between Europe and the US — and it certainly isn't in Italy's interest.”

Meloni has engaged in a complex balancing act since Trump returned to power last year, attempting to cast herself as a bridge to the US without upsetting her allies at home and in Europe. On Sunday, she said she would seek to mediate over Europe's mounting dispute over Greenland. 

On Gaza specifically, Meloni's stance has softened since she became premier, also because of massive protests and shifting public opinion strongly in favour of Palestinians. She's pledged to contribute to the rebuilding of Gaza and help train the strip's future police force.

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