American Corner
Remarks by Ambassador Ralph Frank at the Opening of "The America Corner - Zadar"
Zadar
June 13, 2005
I am delighted to be here today, at this world-class library, to open the first American Corner on the Croatian coast, and the second American Corner in Croatia.
My thanks to the Director of the City Library of Zadar, Ivan Pehar, and to city officials for their support. I deeply appreciate all that you have done to make this American Corner a reality.
My Government is investing in these "mini-libraries" to encourage citizens around the world to learn about the United States.
Your community here in Zadar can now use a variety of tools to find out more about Americans and our society. We have provided nearly 1000 books, videos, and DVDs, along with computer equipment, a VCR/DVD player and a television to help you in your studies. We will soon provide American magazines, and we will continue to donate books to this facility.
Learning about America is a time-consuming goal. It's not easy. Ours is a complicated society, composed of a diverse mixture of people with different ideas, backgrounds, religions, languages, and opinions.
Yet we are bound together by a fundamental set of democratic principles and a system of government that has not faltered over the years. We express our differences and we debate without fear. We compromise, and thus we continue to evolve and grow.
I encourage you to use this American Corner to explore for yourself our history, society, culture, and values, and to learn about our government and policies. We will bring visiting American specialists here to speak on subjects of mutual interest, and I hope you will engage them in a lively discussion of whatever topic it may be.
I encourage you to use this American Corner. It is yours. And I hope -- no, I know it will be a catalyst for creating greater mutual understanding between our peoples.
Once again, my thanks to Director Pehar and the city, and to the Zadar American Corner coordinator Milko Belevski, for your support, your assistance, and your enthusiasm.
Milko, I want to see empty shelves tomorrow, with every book checked out!