Israel's attacks on Lebanon 'unacceptable': Turkish foreign minister

WASHINGTON

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned Wednesday against the spillover effect of conflicts in the Middle East, reiterating his support for Palestine.

"We will not stay silent and doom Palestinians to starvation and massacre. We are now facing a spillover of the conflict to Lebanon, and we do not know if it will go beyond," Fidan told a G20 foreign ministers meeting in New York, speaking on the heels of massive Israeli wireless device attacks and bombardments that have killed hundreds of people and injured many thousands in Lebanon.

"Thus, we are in a phase of huge risk of wider conflict,” he warned.

If Israel’s "annihilation" of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as well as in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, continues "relentless," Fidan said the broader effect on regional stability and international order will be "inevitable."

Stressing that this "is leading to an erosion" of the international system that gets worse every day, Fidan said that a "full-fledged, functioning" Palestinian state is "the only way" to ensure peace in the Middle East.

"We should strengthen our efforts towards a two-state solution," he told the G20 foreign ministers.

UN is the 'very place' to discuss global governance reform

Endorsing a call to action on global governance reform, Fidan said the G20 ministers once again underlined their commitment to the endeavor.

"The unacceptable situation in Gaza should be a wake-up call to international community, testifying yet again to the urgent need for reform," he said.

Fidan said the UN is the "very place" to discuss global governance reform, adding that the UN cannot reach to its full relevance without addressing the issue of Security Council reform.

"Our goal is for a more democratic, accountable, representative, transparent and effective Security Council,” he said.

"Our call is for a Security Council, where the veto of one doesn't determine the fate of many. We need to democratize the decision-making procedures immediately," he added.

These "critical reforms" must not remain limited to the UN, Fidan said, adding the international financial architecture and the multilateral trading system need reforms as well.

"We also need better resource and more effective multilateral development banks to face global challenges. Without proper access to finance, reaching sustainable development goals will not be possible," he added.