Caption: Boran, Kaya and Ayaz families respond to a call for peace from Dr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem and a long-running vendetta ends.

The vendetta raging on among Boran, Kaya and Ayaz families in Mardin's Savur county has ended in peace on 26 November 2004. Three thousands members of Boran, Kaya and Ayaz families, honoring a request for peace from Dr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem, got together for a meal of peace despite the heavy snow storm. Erdem, who was responsible for the winds of peace, said this: "I am proud to be a peace maker for these families, who are in fact related to each other I acted in line with the order and bidding of our prophet to achieve this peace, which was a legacy from my late father to me. I thank the Boran, Kaya and Ayaz families for honoring my request. Not a single shot of celebration was fired into the air on this festive day. All the family members and the people of Savur celebrated a holiday in calm and quiet and with tolerance. This service at Savur is a precursor to our access to the European Union. The families said 'Yes' to change because it is good for the future of their children. I hope a peace such as this will set an example for the Southeastern Anatolia region as well for Turkey, and will become widespread. I take this opportunity to once again send my thanks to Hüsamettin Boran, to the Kaya family, and to Eşref Ayaz, and hope that this peace will be charitable to the entire Savur population."

Winds of EU blowing in Mardin

Attending the TÜGİK (Turkish Young Businessmen's Foundation) Conference held in Mardin on 27 November 2004 titled "The Winds of EU are Blowing from Mardin", Fatma Pehlivan, Senator from Belgium, Cem Özdemir, an EU Representative, Dr. Lale Akgün, Congresswoman from Köln, Professor Eser Karakaş, Dean of Business Administration at Bahçeşehir University, Dr. Binhan Oğuz, a consultant from Strateka Consulting, and Professor Recep Keskin, Deputy President of ATlAD (Association of Turkish Businessman and Industrialists in Europe). The issues facing Christian citizens living in Mardin were also brought up and discussed. The messages of and calls for peace, which EU Representative Cem Özdemir has been waiting so long to hear, were pronounced personally by both Temel Koçaklar, Governor of Mardin, and Dr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem, session chairman. Comments related to the topic found at the web site wvw.suryaniler.com: "The positive atmosphere taking hold in Turkey and the steps being taken towards democratization have heightened the hopes of the Suryanis living abroad for returning to the country. Some of the Suryanis who used to live in the greater Mardin area and who subsequently had emigrated are acting on their ardent desires to move back."