Lula speaks with Trump and asks him to limit the Peace Board to Gaza and include Palestine

São Paulo.- The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, spoke on the phone this Monday with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, and asked him that the Peace Board proposed by Washington be limited to dealing with the situation in Gaza and include a “seat” for Palestine. Lula, who has not yet accepted the invitation to join the Board, proposed changes to this body conceived by Trump to resolve conflicts around the world and which had initially been presented with the aim of helping the recovery of the Palestinian territory, after the war between Israel and Hamas. At the same time, the Brazilian reiterated the “importance” of a “broad” UN reform that includes increasing the number of permanent member countries of the Security Council, according to a statement from the Brazilian government. During an event held last Friday, Lula criticized the idea of the Peace Board and accused Trump of wanting to create a “new UN” with him as the “owner”. So far, about twenty nations, some of them led by Trump’s close allies, have expressed their support for the initiative, but the major powers and most European countries have been reluctant, considering that the Board weakens the UN. Regarding Venezuela, another point of tension between the two Governments, Lula emphasized the need to “preserve peace and stability” in the region. After a U.S. military command captured the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, at the beginning of the month, the Brazilian president publicly condemned the intervention and said it crossed an “unacceptable line”. During the phone call, which lasted about 50 minutes, Lula also spoke about the proposal made by Brazil to reinforce bilateral cooperation in the fight against organized crime, with the exchange of data on financial transactions and the freezing of assets of the factions.

You may be interested in: China confirms the U.S. invitation to the Gaza Peace Board, without clarifying its response

Finally, the two leaders agreed on a visit by Lula to the White House, to take place on a date yet to be determined after his trip to India and South Korea in February. If confirmed, it will be the Brazilian’s first visit to Washington with Trump as president, after last year the bilateral relationship was marked by disagreements over trade and political issues. The American imposed high tariffs on imports from Brazil and sanctioned a Supreme Court judge to try to stop the process of coup against the far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro. The pressure campaign did not work and since last September there has been a gradual approach between both leaders that has resulted in the lifting of the sanction and part of the tariffs.