Turkey: 'A committee acting under the Turkish Ministry of Culture has approved legal zoning of the Diyarbakir Evangelical Church, granting formal approval for the first new Protestant church to be built in southeastern Turkey since the founding of the Turkish republic. In an official document issued October 10 by Mehriban Karaaslan, director of the Diyarbakir Committee for the Preservation of Culture and Historical Sites, Pastor Ahmet Guvener was informed that the location of his church building in the city’s Lalebey district had been ruled “suitable.” “Without question this is a direct answer to the prayers of Christians from all over the world,” Guvener told Compass today. However, one Diyarbakir church leader noted, “There’s still no legal mechanism in Turkey for establishing a new church. We are thankful to have permission finally, by the good graces of the Turkish government and on the wings of the drive to enter the European Union, but this hasn’t really solved the issue.”' (Compass Direct)