LICE - The European Union (EU) Commissioner Guenter Verheugen, currently on a tour in southeastern part of the country, met Tahsin Yildiz, the headman of Tuzla village in Lice town of Diyarbakir city.
Stating that he visited Tuzla to be informed on security and economic situation of the village, Verheugen said that ''a special importance has been accorded to Southeastern (Anatolia) Region thanks to the cooperation between EU and Turkey.''
''Turkey is urged to eliminate social and economic imbalances in the region in our pre-accession strategy,'' Verheugen said. He noted that the return of the villagers to their villages should be encouraged, infrastructure should be amended and economic situation of the region should be improved.
On the other hand, Yildiz said that security forces evacuated their village in November 1995 and they migrated to Diyarbakir and southern city of Mersin.
''Some people returned to their village in 2001. First, seven families returned. There are 30 families in the village now. Currently I'm living in a tent. We applied to ECHR (European Court of Human Rights) in 2001. We have not received financial aid from the state. We need cement and iron. We need water, school, peace and tranquility,'' Yildiz said.
Yildiz noted that he wanted Turkey to join the EU, replying to question of Verheugen.
On the other hand Subgovernor Ismail Kosum said that the region suffered much from terrorism, stating that people started to return to their home villages, after emergency rule was over.
Kosum said that he believed that villagers would overcome problems thanks to support of the government and the EU.
Verheugen also visited tents where some villagers were staying and said that they saw once again that violence and clashes always caused disaster.
(EÖ-ULG) 07.09.2004