Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will ask the government to provide a private jet to the country's top Muslim cleric, ignoring criticism caused by his earlier promise to give the cleric a Mercedes.
Erdogan told NTV television late Tuesday that Mehmet Gormez, who heads a government body that regulates religious affairs, was a respected Islamic religious leader who deserved the same conveniences as the pope.
Erdogan said the pope "has a private jet, private cars and armored vehicles. That's the situation at the Vatican and our religious leader will take scheduled flights?"
Last week Erdogan promised to allocate a Mercedes to Gormez after the cleric returned one following an uproar over the expenditure.
Erdogan has himself been criticized for moving into a 1,150-room palace.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
