Labour has announced it will not take part in President Donald Trump’s signing ceremony for the Board of Peace in Gaza.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK will not be participating given “concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace.”
She told BBC News: “We won’t be one of the signatories today, because this is about a legal treaty that raises much broader issues.”
The Kremlin confirmed Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was studying the proposal to join the proposed Board of Peace and would reply in due course.
President Trump has invited dozens of world leaders to join his initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts, although diplomats say the move could harm the work of the United Nations.
White House officials said about 35 world leaders have committed so far to the board.
According to the Saudi Foreign Ministry, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Kuwait and Qatar have all signed up to the board.
Mr Putin had said the invitation to join was only under consideration, in contradiction to President Trump’s comments hours earlier,
The US President told an audience in Davos: “[Putin] was invited. He’s accepted.”
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REUTERS
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