Merkel backs Turkey's idea of 'safe zones' for refugees in Syria

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Union officials visited a refugee camp in southeastern Turkey on Saturday in an attempt to bolster the controversial deal.

The visit comes as a way for both Turkey and the European Union to celebrate their recent deal that involves deporting refugees who arrive in Greece from Turkey in return for billions of dollars in aid to the Turkish government and a visa-free access to the European Union for Turks. But the deal remains beset by myriad moral and legal concerns.

Merkel described Turkey's issuing work permits for Syrian refugees as a "very courageous step".

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has also put Merkel in a hard position by demanding that Germany press charges against a comedian who recited a sexually crude satirical poem about him on a German public broadcaster last month. All three European politicians said Turkey must meet certain legislative conditions for the visa liberalization to occur, while Davutoğlu said it was a precondition for Turkey's continued involvement in the readmission agreement.

On Friday, Amnesty urged the European delegation not to "close their eyes to the catalogue of human rights abuses faced by refugees" in Turkey. "If it doesn't happen, then the readmission agreement will not come into play", he said.

The deal initially slowed the number of arrivals to Greece sharply, but boats have been coming again with about 150 people a day, the International Organization for Migration said.

She said that EU-funded projects that form part of the migration deal are meant to provide opportunities for all 2.2 million Syrians living in Turkey - not just the 10 per cent to 15 per cent living in camps - and to pave the way for "all children to have an education".

The EU in return has earmarked €6 billion ($8.5 billion Cdn) to Turkey over the next four years to help improve conditions for the 2.7 million Syrian refugees inside Turkey.

Merkel joined Turkey's Prime Minister to visit a migrant camp on the country's border with Syria.

Judith Sunderland, Human Rights Watch's acting deputy director for Europe, said that instead of "touring a sanitized refugee camp", the delegation "should go to the detention centre for people who were abusively deported from Greece".

Last week, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was investigating reports about Turkish soldiers firing live bullets at the Syrian border - a charge Turkey has denied. The U.N. has warned against the plan unless there was a way to guarantee the refugees' safety in the war-torn state. Aid workers have opposed it.

Meanwhile, Turkey on Sunday also briefly detained a Dutch journalist for a tweet deemed critical of Turkish President Erdogan.

But the leaders refused on Saturday to be drawn into the controversy, with Merkel saying simply that they had "talked frankly" about it.

She said she had been "very impressed" with Turkish efforts at the Nizip camp.

Merkel's decision to let prosecutors pursue a case against Jan Boehmermann angered many Germans, who saw it as a sop to an authoritarian leader.