Italy to join Board of Peace as observer country, Meloni says

Italy plans to participate in US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace as an observer country, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday during a visit to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

The Italian leader had previously said Italy could not become a member of the body for constitutional reasons.

Meloni, who is considered to have good relations with Trump, said Washington has now invited Italy to join as an observer country, which she described as "a good solution."

Given all the work that needs to be done to stabilize the situation in the Middle East, an Italian and European presence is important, she emphasized.

Trump officially launched the Board of Peace last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Originally conceived to oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, the body's ambitions are now unclear, with Trump suggesting it could also be used to address conflicts and crises worldwide.

Many European countries see the body as an attempt to undermine the United Nations and have refused to join, with Bulgaria and Hungary the only EU countries among the body's 26 members so far.