Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy chairman Faruk Loðoðlu criticized the Turkish foreign minister's proposal for a safe zone within Syria, claiming it would bring Turkey and Syria to the brink of war.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu had said on Monday that the United Nations may need to create a safe zone within Syria to accommodate a growing number of refugees from the fighting there. Turkey already hosts nearly 70,000 Syrians fleeing the 17-month-old rebellion against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Loðoðlu indicated three conditions to be satisfied to create such a safe zone: "The approval of the Syrian regime and government; the consensus among the Syrian opposition and regime and the decision of the United Nations Security Council."

In a written statement, the CHP deputy added that "If Turkey decides to create a safe zone without taking into account these three scenarios, then the zone will lack legitimacy. Moreover, if such a decision were put into action, Syria would perceive such an act as an attack on its sovereignty and territorial integrity, which would bring both states to the verge of war."