President Prabowo Subianto insists Indonesia will not pay the $1 billion fee for permanent membership on Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’, committing only troops
JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto has firmly stated Indonesia will not pay the USD 1 billion fee for permanent membership on US counterpart Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’.
Prabowo made the clarification in a statement published on the presidential YouTube channel, asserting Jakarta had only committed peacekeeping troops to the initiative.
The board was formed after the Trump administration, alongside Qatar and Egypt, negotiated a Gaza ceasefire in October.
Its requirement for permanent members to pay USD 1 billion has sparked criticism it could become a ‘pay-to-play’ version of the UN Security Council.
Prabowo, a former general, has faced domestic criticism from Indonesian Muslim groups for joining the board and pledging 8,000 peacekeeping troops to Gaza.
He attended the board’s inaugural meeting in Washington last month.
Prabowo later said he would withdraw if the board fails to benefit Palestinians or align with Indonesia’s national interests.
“We never said that we wanted to contribute USD 1 billion,” Prabowo stated in the broadcast.
He emphasised he did not make any financial commitments “at all”.
Prabowo signed a tariff deal with the US last month but insisted Indonesia could withdraw from any agreement threatening its national interest.
Talks with Washington about a Gaza peacekeeping mission are now “on hold”, according to state news agency Antara.
The agency cited Foreign Ministry spokesman Vahd Nabyl Achmad Mulachela.
