Siber says time to break the taboo and talk partition

Former Turkish Cypriot ‘House Speaker’ Sibel Siber added her voice to a growing number of politicians on the Turkish side that say a two-state solution for permanent partition should be put on the negotiating table.

Siber said in an interview with Dogan news agency that Greek Cypriots were not ready to establish a common federal state, and that confederation or a two-state solution should be discussed.

Siber said given the the point at which the talks have arrived since the failure of negotiations in Switzerland last year, “we must be realistic and break the taboo”

“We should not be afraid of finding new levels,” said Siber adding that this was also a growing view among international observers and diplomats behind closed doors.

She argued that Greek Cypriots did not want a federation “We need to see this reality,” she said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday the Turkish side was working on a new roadmap for the way forward on Cyprus while Turkish Cypriot press has been rife with speculation in recent weeks that partition was becoming the preferred option.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.