>I'd like to correct your misunderstanding how ISO 3166 codes are allocated
and
>their relationship to ccTLDs. The main basis are the names of countries as

[SNIP]

Which is basically what I said, leaving out the intricate detail of the
committees and the UN, ITU is represented in one way or another within the
UN anyway from my understanding.

So I was far briefer.

>ccTLDs are allocated by IANA on the basis of the ISO 3166 alpha-2 (2 letter)
>code set - defined in RFC 920 (1984) and currently RFC 1591 (1994).

With the exception of a number of new codes that haven't yet been put into
an RFC :)

>> Now the question arises.  If the majority of ccTLD's are now being
>> administred at their top level by their governments, either directly or in
>> participation with the public, does that not mean - or at least in TODAYS
>> chain of events, not the historic - that AU should eventually be handled by
>> a Trustee made up of AU Government - and at minimum AU citizens?
>
>Governments have traditionally kept their hands off of ccTLD management in
the
>spirit of self-regulation unless there are over-riding public policy issues 
>that must be addressed. That said, the related issues (e.g., competition
>policy,  intellectual property issues) are obviously concerns of governments.

Yep. Basically what I said anyway, leaving out a suggested administraive
suggestions.

>Now the especially relevant irony here is that nothing wakes up governments 
>quicker than somebody claiming they are responsible for managing an ISO 3166 
>alpha-3 (3 letter) code-based TLD.

Really?  I hear far too many snores around 3 letter codes. I've seen far
too many listings of them too.

>Robert Shaw <robert.shaw&#167;itu.int>
>International Telecommunication Union <http://www.itu.int>

I keep forgetting to ask what country is 'int' ??

Integer?