[Chapter-delegates] ISOC SERBIA - NEW ccTLD

[Prof. Dr MILE Vasiljevic]

Dear colleagues and friends, 

First of all, I am apologizing to all who have showed interest for the matters 
regarding new ccTLD for my country - Republic of Serbia, for not taking part 
in the discussion immediately. I was away on international journey and I have 
returned to my office just today to continue with my work.

In the same time I wish to express my gratitude to Prof. dr Borka Jerman 
Blazic, Desiree Miloshevic, Veni, Patrick and others for expressed interest 
and support to finish this whole process the best way possible. I hope that 
in this process I will receive useful advices, even greater support from 
them, support from other national ISOC representatives as well as from 
Internet Society in whole.

I hope that you will not mind if I give some detailed information about this 
matter.

Of course, Prof. dr Borka Jerman Blazic is the most meritorious for including 
of former Yugoslavia in the Internet community, thanks to which people from 
this territory gained an opportunity, like everywhere in the world, to 
connect and use all Internet services. This is confirmed in our Internet 
circles as historical fact. After former Yugoslavia seized to exist, Slovenia 
and other republics became independent countries. Remaining two republics 
(Serbia and Montenegro) have continued to use word “Yugoslavia” as foundation 
of their name for some time and certain M. Tasic has managed to take over 
ccTLD .yu and to form her own “rules”.
Those “rules” are unfortunately still active. Since all work about maintenance 
of domains is processed by her alone, with maybe few more people she 
included, unofficially and uselessly for citizens, companies and potential 
users in our country, in order to minimize and make this job easier for her, 
she has limited ALL (companies, organizations…) to be able to use only ONE 
web address based on one Act of Registration. To the large companies (.co.yu) 
who have more than one product and trademark or different economic programs 
with huge capacities, it is not allowed that every organizational unit has 
it’s own appropriate presentation and to satisfy their need, but instead she 
is ASSIGNING them only one address. The same situation is with other forms of 
organizing (.org.yu and .edu.yu).

The most incredible is that for private person IT IS NOT POSSIBLE to get 
personal web address under any circumstances !!! By that she has achieved the 
highest level of dictatorship, non-democratization and abuse of managing 
existing ccTLD. Many painters, writers, hobbyists, students and other CAN NOT 
have their own web domain and to present themselves to the others !!! In 
order to satisfy their need, will and freedom, they must buy an international 
domain, which is imposing a question of PURPOSE OF EXISTANCE OF NATIONAL 
DOMAIN.

Definitely, since any kind of Yugoslavia has seized to exist, and there have 
also been changes with status of State Union Serbia and Montenegro, by which 
Republic of Serbia became constituted, further existence of the old top-level 
domain has became meaningless. The need for change of ccTLD, change of ccTLD 
manager, as well as principles and rules for using ccTLD, is obvious.
 
Scientists and enthusiasts in our country, led by undersigned of these lines, 
for about half decade are concentrated and intensively working on 
democratization in our country in general, and specifically in “their” area – 
Internet democratization. First serious steps have been made after arrival of 
Dr Zoran Djindjic in place of Prime Minister, who have gave us full support. 
In those years we have contacted Prof. dr Borka Jerman Blazic and she has 
kindly advised us and recommended us to take first step by starting national 
chapter of Internet Society. Then came period for creation of conditions, 
field work and creation of appropriate chapter. So, answer to Patrick, ISOC 
Serbia is absolutely included in the process and already all necessary 
conditions are created in order to finish these matters in the best way.
It is good to note (Desiree) that there have been much more than three “WORK” 
groups. I am familiar with over dozen different “work” groups out of which 
some consisted of just one person.
For example, one “work group” which used political abuses in order to define 
itself as “government agency” was led by certain B. Andjelic (who is at this 
moment in PRISON) and then it turned towards maintenance of web sites for 
some government and non government organizations. There is no need to 
enumerate further, it is irrelevant.
Generally, Serbia is still burdened with political struggles and confronted 
interests of political parties. There is a huge struggle for winning 
influence on citizens and media are among most significant targets. We are 
witnessing the recent political and physical destruction of one of the most 
significant media centers, BK TV (Braca Karic Television Network), which 
certain parties could not control. About those events world public is already 
informed. So, control of the Internet has become interesting to many powerful 
politicians. They do not have almost any education and they do not understand 
even basic principles of the Internet, but here and there you can find an 
individual with certain informatics knowledge which he wants to put in 
service to politicians and in return to receive their support and advantage 
over other “rivals” and to “rule” the Internet.
Leadership of ISOC Serbia has organized meetings with leaders of the strongest 
political parties and familiarized them with principles of the Internet, with 
the need of its independence and general and mutual interest of all citizens 
and therefore all political parties. We have received agreement and guarantee 
that the Internet in Serbia will be independent, which was confirmed even 
personally by President of Republic of Serbia Boris Tadic 
(www.isoc-srbija.org).

Internet Association of Serbia, as the widest Internet community in Republic 
of Serbia, has already initiated National Internet Registry Center, and it 
has provided it with necessary funds and equipment (we also already have 
certain server capacities), as well as appropriate arranged work space and 
experts needed for maintenance of national top-level domain .rs. NIRC has 
already achieved status of legal entity (registered in the Republic Registry 
for Statistics, with TIN, appropriate activity ID code and bank account). 
According to the rules of the ICANN, resolution is expected to be brought by 
ISO-3166 about two-letter code for Republic of Serbia, which will be followed 
by assignation of the national top-level domain. Based on the information 
from top-level domain registry and communication we had in the past, 
intention is that the top-level domain for Republic of Serbia will be 
exactly .rs (as Veni has mentioned earlier).

In several weeks, I am traveling to the USA and I will sign certain Contracts 
regarding servers and other services, and I am planning to visit Reston also 
and to have personal conversation with ISOC officials.

We hope that in our process of activating ccTLD .rs, ISOC and it’s leadership 
and distinguished members will help to solve this matter as regular as 
possible and in the shortest possible period, and that there will be progress 
and democratization of the Internet in our country too. Each advice and 
guideline will be valuable to us and I am thanking you. For direct contacts, 
you can use my private e-mail address (profmile at gover.us) since the mail from 
profmile at ptt.yu I can download only when I am in Serbia and it is not 
reliable because of frequent crashing of that server (that is local .yu 
server).

I wish all the best to all of you.

Prof. Dr Mile Vasiljevic
National ISOC Director