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Nicosia Master Plan Information Center Opening

Remarks by Ambassador Michael Klosson
Nicosia Master Plan Information Center, UN Buffer Zone, May 13, 2005

I am honored to be here today to help inaugurate this Nicosia Master Plan (NMP) Information Center. Michael Zampelas, Kutlay Erk and their teams, in partnership with the Bicommunal Development Program, Andrew Russell and his team, have worked extremely hard to make this Information Center a reality.

Thirty six years ago this year, Neal Armstrong landed on the moon and uttered his famous words – “one small step for a man, one great leap for mankind.”

Now, Nicosia is not the moon. Kutlay and Michael are not astronauts. But today they are making history. This information center is indeed a small step forward for a city, but potentially another great leap for the idea of a unified Cyprus.

These two leaders walked the Green Line together for the first time in 2003. Today – again for the first time – they take another step to realize their vision of a unified Nicosia – and, eventually, a unified island. This is the first infrastructure project that is being carried out by the NMP teams jointly and will be operated jointly by the two teams.

I am very pleased to have been part of the discussions that led to this Information Center and other joint NMP projects. Our discussions began in earnest back in the summer of 2003 and led to the NMP Amateur Photo Competition, Emergency Repairs in the Buffer Zone, the New Urban Development Vision Project, the Nicosia Walking Tour and this Center. All of these projects were designed and implemented by the joint Nicosia Master Plan team.

Joint projects are never easy -- by their nature they require close coordination, excellent communication and active understanding. They take time. But they are also well worth the effort. Why? Because they send an important message across this island and to interested parties in the international community, such as the United States. A solution is possible. Cypriots can work together. These projects are practical examples – concrete proof -- of what Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots can accomplish when they do work together. They take place here in Nicosia, but they represent a shared vision for the future of the whole island of Cyprus. Projects such as this point the way to a positive, shared future. They are a testament to all who have worked on them in one way or another. I congratulate you, Cypriots and the UN. I am proud the United States has been able to contribute.