QUOTE FROM EI3IO,G3SDL I'd like to discuss a few additional issues in respect of some of the information already provided. Firstly the DXCC list itself is a political list; just look at the principal requirements for DXCC status; UN recognition, ITU call-sign series or inclusion in (a) the U.S. Department of State's list of "Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty" as having a local "Administrative Center," or (b) the United Nations list of "Non-Self-Governing Territories. Now what constitutes inclusion on the State Department's List, as TRNC would seem to qualify? - the politics and foreign policy of a powerful, important and sovereign nation.
Now lets look at this "illegal" call-sign prefix 1B. The ITU Radio Regulations (Article 19 and Appendix 42) do not provide for any call-sign which starts with the figure 0 or 1 or where a single letter followed by a figure forms the national identifier; in this case the second character is never 0 or 1. There is therefore a clear problem for 1B BUT now lets consider some call-signs which we know and love, which are also a problem but no one raises even a whisper of concern about them. 1A - a DXCC entity listed as an unofficial call-sign in the DXCC list - note in this case the word 'illegal' or 'unauthorised' call-sign is not used. Then there is S0 another disputed territory but not as disputed as TRNC; again it is not using a call-sign series conforming to the Radio Regulations of the ITU. S0 is also listed as an unofficial call-sign in the DXCC list. So are some of us not being just a little hypocritical when complaining about the use of 1B by TRNC as an illegal call-sign? In terms of problems of recognition TRNC has similar problems to Kosovo, Palestine, Taiwan and Western Sahara. In amateur circles we've already seen stirrings of discontent with the disputed (by some) independence of Kosovo in recent times. However in the case of TRNC, no one can dispute that the United Nations Security Council issued two resolutions (541 and 550) proclaiming that the Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence was illegal and requested that no other sovereign state should recognise the legality of the declaration and asked for its withdrawal. So once we get into the world of politics and human relations things get blurred. Let us accept there are always international political problems in the World, whether its the politicisation of Antartica, who owns the Falklands/Malvinas, whether Macedonia should have a new name or whether the British Isles should be called the Western European Isles. I for one wish the 1B licensees well - I understand that they are operating under difficult conditions but they are operating in accordance with the regulations of the State in which they live. I do not think that any person living in any of the disputed territories around the World should be denied the fun and enjoyment of operating an amateur radio station. I also understand the deep rooted problems between the two Cypriot communities but these need to be solved in an appropriate way through negotiation, NOT by invoking emotive statements in amateur radio news groups and email lists. Best 73s to all Dave EI3IO, G3SDL Subscribe/unsubscribe, feedback, FAQ, problems http://njdxa.org/dx-chat To post a message, DX related items only, dx-chat@njdxa.org This is the DX-CHAT reflector sponsored by the NJDXA http://njdxa.org
