BERLIN, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's proposal to establish a "security zone under international control" in northern Syria was met with skepticism among German politicians on Tuesday.
On Monday, Kramp-Karrenbauer recommended the preparation of a proposal for such a security zone by Germany, France and Britain with the "involvement" of Turkey and Russia.
In an interview with public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), Kramp-Karrenbauer, leader of Germany's governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU), described the proposal as a "strong political and diplomatic response from Europeans in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)."
Fritz Felgentreu, defense policy spokesperson of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), told the public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that he was "a bit surprised" by Kramp-Karrenbauer's proposal.
The proposal for such a security zone in Syria was "not coordinated" with the SPD, the CDU's coalition partner in the German government, stated Felgentreu, adding that it was "obvious" that the social democrats were skeptical about it.
The German press agency (dpa) reported that the country's Foreign Ministry led by SPD politician Heiko Maas saw the "need for a discussion" about Kramp-Karrenbauer's proposal.
"The fear of refugees seems to have obscured the view of reality in parts of the CDU," Omid Nouripour, a lawmaker of Germany's Green Party, told dpa, adding that Kramp-Karrenbauer "reinforces" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "impression that he can blackmail us with refugees."
Shortly after the launch of the Turkish military operation in northern Syria in early October, Erdogan threatened the European Union (EU) that he would open Turkey's borders for refugees if the EU called Ankara's military operation in Syria an "invasion."
The German Free Democratic Party (FDP) had already demanded the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers "a few days ago," Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the party's spokeswoman on defense issues, told the dpa.
Germany must be prepared to "actively support" the proposed security zone in northern Syria, she added.
Kramp-Karrenbauer has not ruled out German troop deployment in a security zone in Syria. However, she stated that this would be a "question that has to be resolved in the German parliament."
