CAMPAIGN ’88 : Deukmejian Raps Turks

Gov. George Deukmejian, frequently mentioned as a potential Republican vice presidential candidate, on Thursday sharply criticized Turkey, a U.S. ally in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

In comments prepared for an address to the Armenian National Committee at the Century Plaza Hotel, Deukmejian said Turkey cannot “expunge 70 years of recorded history that loudly proclaims the deliberate slaughter” of Armenians.

“If Turkey wants to take its place alongside the United States in our struggle to preserve liberty in the Free World, then it should start telling the truth,” Deukmejian said.

Although Armenians say 1.5 million of them were killed by Ottoman Turks in 1915, the Turkish government has never acknowledged the slaughter. Deukmejian has criticized the Reagan Administration for opposing efforts to designate a special day to honor the victims.