The law firm representing Fetullah Terrorist
Organization's (FETO) leader Fetullah Gulen said Saturday it hoped
a position taken by a top adviser to Donald Trump would not become
policy for the president-elect.
"We hope that Mr. Flynn’s op-ed on Mr. Gulen and
Turkish-American relations, published before the results of the
election were known, is not a statement of policy for
President-Elect Trump," Gulen’s legal team at Steptoe & Johnson
said in a written statement.
The statement was in response to an article written last week by
retired Gen. Michael Flynn in which he stressed the importance of
Turkey's role in region and advocated for Gulen’s extradition as he
said the issue was one of the key points of contention between
Washington and Ankara.
The law firm said the extradition process was serious and
governed by a treaty with Turkey that is clear about the steps that
need to be taken.
"It should not be a political matter," the statement said.
"The U.S. has strong democratic institutions, including its
judiciary system, where these high-level issues are handled. We
expect and are confident that will be the case in the next
administration."
Beginning July 19, Ankara has asked Washington to extradite
Gulen for his role in establishing a quasi-state within Turkey that
led to a failed bloody coup July 15.
Flynn was a key national security adviser to Trump during his
presidential campaign and is expected by many to be appointed to a
Cabinet position, possibly as defense secretary.
The former chair of the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested
that although Gulen presents himself as a moderate Islamic scholar,
he is a radical who "has publicly boasted about his ‘soldiers’
waiting for his orders to do whatever he directs them to do".
Flynn compared Gulen to Ayatollah Khomeini -- the leader of the
Iranian revolution – urging the U.S. government not to repeat its
mistake by supporting Gulen as it did Khomeini.
"Washington’s silence on this explosive topic speaks volumes
when we hear the incredulous claim that the democratically elected
president of Turkey staged a military coup, bombed his own
parliament and undermined the confidence in Turkey’s strong
economy, just so that he could purge his political opponents,"
Flynn wrote.
He also cited allegation of corruption against the Gulen network
in the U.S., and said the terror leader has brought more people
than Google into the country to teach English but they are not
fluent in the language.