Egypt warned Syria's government on Thursday not to violate the borders of its neighbours and said it saw numerous dangers to the region if the conflict spread.

Egyptian Foreign Mohamed Kamal Amr made his comments in a statement a day after a mortar bomb fired from Syria killed five Turkish civilians, prompting Turkish artillery to hit target inside Syria killing several Syrian soldiers.

Amr said Syria should stop bloodshed on its own soil and "called on the Syrian government not to violate the borders of neighbouring states, warning of the numerous dangers to the whole region" if the crisis expanded.

Egypt's newly elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi has been an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has been building close ties with Turkey. – Reuters