Has anybody heard rumors about a possible withdrawal of USA from BIPM ? The reason why I put this question is that I recently got this information (from another discussion group) :
>During the past summer, the U.S., with the signature of Colin Powell >as Secretary of State, sent their official letter of withdrawal to >the BIE. > >Once received, it takes one year for the withdrawal to go into effect. > >This news came directly from those at the state department who were >in charge of U.S. >participation. This news was as of June. Certainly with the changing >international landscape >via September 11, this letter could have been rescinded. BIE stands for "Bureau International des Expositions", ie the international organization that regulates the Universal Expositions. Established in 1928 and located in Paris, it has currently 88 member states. A member of the discussion group gave the following explanation : > The U.S. has not paid its dues to the BIE in years (this despite a >relatively small $35,000 per year fee). However, our decision on >this is not truly monetary. For over a decade now, our >participation in world's fairs can not legally include any money >from the public treasury and must be fundraised from corporate >sponsors. Certainly this is not the case with BIPM, but who knows... Louis
