World Wide Alliance of Top Level Domain-names
Communiqué from Bucharest meeting

Representatives of 57 Country Code Managers met at Bucharest, Romania on 24 and 25 June 2002.

Useful and constructive discussions were held on various subjects of interest to ccTLD Managers, notably on the topic of ICANN reform and various concerns to relating the IANA function

The ccTLD managers recognise the hard work carried out by the Committee on Evolution and Reform within the very short timescale allowed. We are pleased to see that a number of the concerns of the ccTLD community are being taken into account, although there do appear to be a number of points on which the ccTLD managers do not agree with the conclusions of the Committee.

A response to the Committee's Blueprint for Reform which was published at the end of last week was prepared during the two days of the ccTLD managers' meeting, representing the initial views of those ccTLD Managers present.

We recommend that ICANN make sufficient time available so that all ccTLD managers world wide to be able to consider the details contained in this important proposal.

The managers also considered in detail the functions and level of service that ccTLD managers require from the IANA function and prepared a requirements specification document [1] which will be transmitted to ICANN as the organisation currently charged with the operation of the IANA function.

The ccTLD managers reiterate the urgent need (already identified at the Special ICANN Meeting on Security and Stability of the Internet Naming System held in Marina del Rey in November 2001) for a procedure for making urgent or emergency technical changes. The recent business failure of a major European telecommunications carrier used by a large number of ccTLD managers has reinforced this need and highlighted the global stability risks inherent in the absence of such procedures.

A number of ccTLD managers reported that ICANN had refused or delayed urgent technical changes for procedural reasons (including a requirement for delivery of the ccTLDs technical databases to the IANA).We regret the fact that technical stability of the Internet was impacted as a direct result, and alternative methods of ameliorating the situation had to be found. The ccTLD managers present re-affirmed their committment to RFC1591 as the sole guidance for the interaction between ccTLDs and the IANA.

The ccTLD Managers reconfirmed their committment to funding the necessary IANA services and in addition to making a contribution for more general community services.

A joint workshop was held with Government Advisory Committee at which a number of matters of common interest to ccTLD managers and GAC members were discussed. It was agreed with the GAC that joint working groups would be created to deal with specific topics, including the principles under which both the GAC and the ccTLD organisation operate.

The ccTLD Managers especially wish to thank the Chairman and the members of the Governmental Advisory Committee for the opportunity for these useful and very constructive discussions and we look forward to increased co-operation in the future.

A number of presentations on Internationalised Domain Names were given to the ccTLD managers which were received with very great interest by those present.