GUL FILES SUIT AGAINST TURKISH PARLIAMENTARIAN WHO CLAIMED THAT HIS MOTHER IS OF ARMENIAN ORIGIN

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2008 17:23 GMT+04:00

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has filed a lawsuit against
Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Canan Aritman, who claimed
that Gul’s mother is of Armenian origin. "Aritman, who has political
motivations, caused doubts about the performance of the president,
who has non-political responsibilities," the petition states.

"The defendant’s claim, which is based on racism and discrimination,
is a heavy assault on the client’s personal and family values,
honor and reputation." The 1 YTL lawsuit petition submitted by the
president’s lawyer, Omer Kucukozcan, refers to Aritman’s claims.

The petition states that Gul stands at an equal distance from all
citizens in his current position and that in his previous duties as
a Deputy Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Prime Minister
and President, he expressed his ideas openly at the national and
international platforms on the topic and on Turkish-Armenian relations.

"My client’s views have been distorted and it was suggested that he
has ethnic ties on his mother’s side, as if he stands closer to a
part of society because of that," the petition states.

The petition also states that according to the news reports, CHP head
Deniz Baykal has been uneasy about Aritman’s statements.

"It would be impossible to compensate for the damages that occurred
because of this issue; however, we demand a compensation of 1 YTL only
to identify the injustice," the petition states, Today’s Zaman reports.

Last week, member of MHP, parliamentarian Canan Aritman "reminded" of
the Armenian origin of the President’s mother. "Abdullah Gul should
be the president of the whole Turkish nation, not of his ethnic
origin. Investigate the ethnic origin of the president’s mother,
and you will see," she said.

In response, President Gul announced that his mother’s side, the
Satoglu family from Kayseri, and his father’s side, the Gul family
also from Kayseri, are Muslim and Turkish, according to centuries of
written genealogy records.

"I respect the ethnic background, different beliefs and family ties of
all my citizens and see this as a reality and also the wealth of our
country with its imperial history. I also would like to emphasize
that all my citizens are equal to one another regardless of any
differences. No one has any superiority whatsoever over another
one. Everybody has the equal and same rights under the guarantee of
our Constitution," Gul said. "I am proud of our country, which has
reached this level of understanding."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress