Brazilian President Requests Trump to Limit Peace Council's Work to Gaza

SadaNews - Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva requested his American counterpart Donald Trump to limit the work of the Peace Council to the Gaza Strip during a phone call in which they agreed to meet in Washington, according to a statement from the Brazilian presidency.

The presidency stated in a statement yesterday, Monday, that Lula da Silva, who was invited along with other world leaders to participate in the "Peace Council" established by Trump, suggested that the work of this body be "limited to the issue of Gaza and include a seat for Palestine."

The Brazilian president emphasized the importance of conducting a comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including increasing the number of permanent members in the Security Council.

Lula da Silva previously accused the American president of seeking to become a "master" of a "new United Nations" by establishing the Peace Council and expanding its role to include international conflicts.

The White House announced the Peace Council, chaired by Trump, as part of a plan to end the war between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip. However, the "charter" for its establishment granted Trump a broad role, raising concerns about the formation of a rival body to the United Nations.

Lula da Silva and Trump have communicated several times since their first official meeting in October, after months of tension. Following this rapprochement, the American administration exempted key Brazilian exports from a 40% tariff it had imposed in connection with the trial of Jair Bolsonaro, the former right-wing president and Trump ally.

The Brazilian presidency noted that Lula da Silva discussed with Trump the situation in Venezuela and called for "maintaining peace and stability in the region" following the American military operation that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

The Brazilian president had previously deemed the operation as "exceeding acceptable limits".

The Brazilian and American presidents agreed during the call that Lula da Silva would visit Washington, with the timing to be determined after trips he will make to India and South Korea in February, according to the Brazilian presidency.