It’s time to talk about two-state solution - Siber

Former Speaker of the TRNC Assembly, Sibel Siber, has said the Greek Cypriot people are not ready to establish a common federal state on the island, adding that a confederal or a two state settlement should be negotiated in Cyprus.

Siber noted that the taboos had to be removed and it was necessary to be realistic when all issues were taken into consideration as regards the Cyprus problem.

Speaking to Dogan News Agency, she said that Turkey was playing an active role in solving the Cyprus problem. 

That the same approach will remain doomed to failure any process, is widely accepted by many sectors. I consider [confederation] to be the right approach, she said.

Referring to the need for a two-state or confederal solution instead of the federal solution model, which has not been achieved for the last 50 years in Cyprus, Siber said,

We need to look for new ways, entering new ground in Cyprus. The desire of the Turkish Cypriot people to reach a viable solution has always been high and this has enabled the Turkish side to have a result-oriented approach in the negotiations, but the solution was not possible to achieve.

This is not just us, but international observers, diplomats also behind closed doors. We need to see the fact that federation can not be realised without the desire of one side. Federation can not exist even if the solution is achieved by enforcement, unless the principle of equality is accepted. In fact, the 1960 agreement was a functional federation realised by coercion, but only lasted for three years, she added.

Dogan News Agency