[At-Large] Question

[José Ovidio Salgueiro A.]

Vittorio:

I don´t think that a delegation of a ccTLD could be considered as a recognition of a state or a government on Interlational Law. ICANN´s mission is totaly different



José Ovidio Salgueiro A.
jsalgueiro at cantv.net


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Vittorio Bertola 
  To: Roberto Gaetano 
  Cc: alac at atlarge-lists.icann.org ; 'Alan Levin' 
  Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 9:30 AM
  Subject: Re: [At-Large] Question


  Roberto Gaetano ha scritto:
  > Folks,
  >  
  > This question is mainly directed at our African colleagues, but I am not 
  > subscribed to that region's list and also think that this could raise a 
  > discussion of general interest.
  >  
  > The Board will consider in the next weeks the request for delegation of 
  > the .eh ccTLD for West Sahara.

  I must add that I have been quite vocal on the Board list, trying to 
  push the point of view that if the delegation meets the usual 
  requirements, then the contested situation in the country should not be 
  a basis for its rejection.

  [To recap: Western Sahara is (apart from a few island territories such 
  as the Cayman Islands etc.) the only remaining colony in the world. It 
  used to be a Spanish colony until 1975, when the ongoing rebellion of 
  the Polisario Front - the fighting organization of the local Sahrawi 
  people - prompted Spain to abandon it. Then, even if the United Nations 
  recognized its right to self-determination and an independent republic 
  was proclaimed, it was militarly occupied by Morocco, that claims to 
  have rights to its territory. This prompted a war that lasted until the 
  90's, when both sides agreed to a UN peace plan that foresaw a 
  referendum on the future status of the territory. Unfortunately, no 
  agreement has ever been reached on who would be entitled to vote, and so 
  the situation is stuck. The territory is presently divided by a wall, 
  with 2/3 of the territory including all major cities and resources 
  staying under Moroccan rule, and 1/3 of desert being under the control 
  of the Polisario Front. Of course, all of the above is subject to 
  different interpretation depending to whom you talk to.]

  Specifically, I would be concerned if ICANN, in front of a technically 
  valid application, refused to approve it for fear of an upset reaction 
  by some governments (starting from Morocco). I think that governments - 
  especially the ones of the neighbouring countries - are not the only or 
  even the main stakeholder in the matter. I also assume that we, as the 
  At Large, are the constituency that has the duty to represent the 
  interests of the local users of the Internet in Western Sahara, or, "the 
  people" if you like, and this is why I'm not too keen on letting this 
  request be let down too easily (even if, of course, I still have to see 
  whether the request is appropriate and meets the requirements).

  Of course, any direct contact with groups and Internet users in Western 
  Sahara would be useful. Also, I would of course take any collective 
  views on the matter, if different from the above.
  -- 
  vb.                   Vittorio Bertola - vb [a] bertola.eu   <--------
  -------->  finally with a new website at http://bertola.eu/  <--------

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