Gov. Mark Sanford apologized Friday for his praise of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern-day Turkey who some say was responsible for the deaths of millions of Christians in the early 20th century.

In his State of the State address on Wednesday night, Sanford held up Ataturk as a model for the kind of governmental reform he wants to enact in South Carolina. He depicted Ataturk as a leader who transformed his country.

But Ataturk is reviled by those who say he was responsible for the forced relocation and deaths of millions of Greeks and Armenians from 1915 to 1917.

Leaders in the Armenian and Greek communities were quick to pounce on the governor after his speech, with some likening Ataturk to Adolph Hitler or Benito Mussolini as a choice for a role model.

In a letter to the editor of The State newspaper that will appear Sunday, Sanford wrote:

"In the whirlwind of setting up a new office and inauguration, I tried to think of examples of structural change for my State of the State speech and thought of Ataturk. Some have taken offense for genuine reasons, others I suspect for political reasons.

"Let me simply say this. I apologize to anyone I may have offended."

The Rev. Aris Metrakos, pastor of Columbia's Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, said Sanford called him personally Friday morning to apologize.

"I not only accept it, but appreciate his apology," Metrakos said. "It was not an intentional offense. It was a mistake. A lesser man would have said nothing. It shows he's a big man. He's a man of character."

After learning of Sanford's speech, Metrakos said the governor should have used another example.

In his letter, Sanford said, "It goes without saying I do not agree with actions of (Ataturk's) government."

He urged critics to focus on the point he was trying to make in his address.

"We need to change South Carolina's government structure," he said, calling it the key "to changing all our lives."

Sanford spokesman Will Folks said the governor would have no comment beyond the letter.

The Turkish government has long denied there was genocide of Greek and Armenian Christians as the Ottoman Empire fell and leaders such as Ataturk came to power.

"It's not unusual, but it is a little overreaching for Greeks to criticize Ataturk," said Cem Saydam, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who is of Turkish descent.

It was not the first time Sanford had to make amends with an ethnic community. During last year's gubernatorial campaign, he apologized for offending Jews after he referred to his time working on the family farm as a "concentration camp for boys."

State Democratic Party chairman Dick Harpootlian, who is of Armenian descent, said Friday Sanford "obviously isn't ready for prime time."

"Is this administration going to be a series of apologies? Who's he going to offend next?"

Reach Bandy at (803) 771-8648 or lbandy@thestate.com.