"Members of ancient Turkish Christian community try to get back to normal
PILGRIMAGE: The EU is encouraging Assyrian families to return to the region and save one of the world's most ancient Christian communities
AP , Haberli, Turkey
Thursday, Jan 06, 2005,Page 6
Advertising Nine-year-old Ninua Saliba played hide-and-seek outside a seventh century church as village men drank tea, chatted in a language similar to Jesus' and waited for a Christmas visit by the local Turkish governor.
The politician's stop and the calm in the ancient village would have been inconceivable just a few years ago when the tiny Christian community in southeastern Turkey was caught in the middle of fighting between Turkish troops and Kurdish rebels.
But a sharp decrease in fighting and Turkey's focus on democracy and human rights as it seeks to join the EU, are boosting hopes that one of the world's oldest Christian communities can rebuild itself in its spiritual heartland."
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