Europeans have indicated that they can work with US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace if it focuses solely on Gaza, as it was unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
They have distanced themselves from Mr Trump's initiative, because of Russian President Vladimir Putin's possible involvement and concerns over its legal framework.
"We want to work for the peace in the Middle East and we want this board of peace to be limited to the UN Security Council resolution as it was foreseen," Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign affairs representative , said before a summit of EU leaders, where Mr Trump's proposal was among items to be discussed.
"So if we narrow it down to Gaza like it was meant to be, then we can work with it."
Ms Kallas told The National in October that the EU wanted a seat on the Board of Peace.
It remains unlikely that its charter would change after its signing on Thursday by Mr Trump and the leaders and representatives of 20 countries that signed up after receiving an invitation.
They include Argentina's President Javier Milei, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority in the UAE, represented the Emirates.
A senior EU official confirmed that most of the EU's 27 member states had received an invitation. EU Commisison President Ursula von der Leyen was also invited. "What we were expecting was that this Board of Peace would be focused and dedicated to the issue of Gaza," the official said.
"What we've seen is that it's much broader, with a format that gives rise to some legal questions in terms of compatibility with the US and, of course, compatibility with European law as well."
The EU is "willing to engage with the US to clarify these questions", the official added.
Putin 'definitely an issue'
That Mr Putin had been invited to join the Board of Peace was "definitely an additional issue that was put on the table when we learned about it", the EU official said.
Mr Putin has said he is still studying the invitation. Europe regards him as a threat because of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
An adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron, who was the first European leader to turn down an invitation to join the Board of peace, echoed those sentiments.
They said their understanding of UN Resolution 2803, passed in November, was that the Board of Peace would be set up to oversee an administration in post-ceasefire Gaza.
However, a version of the board's charter circulated in the media makes no mention of Gaza and sets a price tag of $1 billion for a three-year membership.
It says that its goal is to "promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict".
Europeans have interpreted this as Mr Trump wanting to set up a rival to the UN.
The Board of Peace "raises a whole series of questions about multilateralism", the adviser to Mr Macron said.
Other EU countries, including Italy and Germany, have been reported to also be hesitant to take part in the Board of Peace. Only Hungary, a close ally of Mr Trump, has accepted. A number of countries in the Middle East, including Israel, neighbouring countries and Gulf states, have also joined.
