IRA decommissioning will increase Belfast's chances of being named the European Capital of Culture for 2008, organisers of the campaign said yesterday.
Ms Shona McCarthy, chief executive of Imagine Belfast, the collective behind the bid, said the accolade would enable the city to "break free of the cliched image people have of it around the world".
"I cried when I heard about decommissioning. It means the world can see we are trying to move forward and it can only help us in this competition." Ms McCarthy was speaking before the bid was launched in the area hailed as the new Temple Bar, the Cathedral Quarter, in Belfast city centre.
She said she hoped the perception of people who normally associate parts of Belfast with a culture of hatred would be challenged by the city's rich tradition of literature, music and the visual arts.
"It is grossly unfair that for the past 30 years, people have only ever looked at the negatives.
"It is a lazy concept, we have had a peace process for the last five years, there is so much talent and creativity here and this is a chance to show our city at its best."
More than 200 people attended the launch, which was the first public engagement for Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Mr Michael McGimpsey, since being renominated by the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Mr David Trimble, on Wednesday evening.
The bid forms part of the Northern Ireland Executive's programme for government. Over the coming days, literature sent to every home in Belfast will encourage people to contribute to an "ideas bank".
Other promotional projects include a short film by actor Adrian Dunbar, featuring the city's main attractions, and a brochure entitled 2008 Things you Didn't Know about Belfast.
The competition, which has been running for 16 years, was introduced to bring European citizens closer together. Member countries are rotated by the EU - the year 2008 has been designated for the UK.
Other cities in the running for the title include Liverpool, Newcastle/Gateshead, Bristol, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Cardiff, Oxford and Bradford. The deadline for submissions is next March and the winner will be announced in spring 2003.
The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Mr Jim Rodgers, has urged the city to unite behind the proposal, which enjoys significant cross-party support. "This offers a real opportunity to put Belfast at the heart of Europe," he said.
"Belfast was one of the global forces in the industrial revolution. It can be a world power now as we move into the information age."
The Belfast bid also has the backing of local artists such as musician Phil Coulter, and actors Kenneth Branagh and James Nesbitt.
Ms McCarthy said yesterday she was extremely confident. "I feel like we are winning already."
The Imagination Belfast website is at www.imaginebelfast 2008.com