Turkey may soon run out space to house refugees fleeing violence in Syria, meaning the United Nations may need to establish camps in a safe zone within the war-torn country, Turkey's foreign minister was quoted as saying on Monday.

The number of Syrians fleeing the 17-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad has risen sharply as fighting escalates, taking the total in Turkey to nearly 70,000 and challenging its ability to cope.

'If the number of refugees in Turkey surpasses 100,000, we will run out of space to accommodate them. We should be able to accommodate them in Syria. The United Nations may build camps in a safe zone within Syria's borders,' Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quoted as telling the Hurriyet newspaper.-Reuters