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From: hsilbiger@attmail.att.COM (Herman R Silbiger)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso.x400
Subject: Re: Report from X.400 development group meeting February 1991
Summary: CCITT meeting?
Message-ID: <1991Mar15.201308.19290@cbnewsi.att.com>
Date: 19 Mar 91 21:56:30 GMT
References: <605950*@MHS>
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In article <605950*@MHS>, JPALME@qz.qz.se (Jacob Palme QZ) writes:
> X.400 development group notes
> =============================
>
> The joint ISO/IEC (JTC 1/SC 18/WG 4), CCITT (Study Group
> VII, Question 18) group  and CCITT (Study Group I,
> question 15) for further development of the X.400/MOTIS
> standard for electronic mail met in Wollongong,
> Australia, February 13-22, 1991.
>
> These are my personal notes from the meeting, no
> official minutes.
>
> Gulf War impact
> ---------------
>
> Because of the Gulf War, all U.S. and Japanese
> representatives, and a few others, did not come to the
> meeting. (Why a war in the Middle East should stop
> people going to a meeting in Australia is something I do
> not understand!)
>
> Because of this, only 27 delegates came, about half as
> many as normally.
>
> There had been discussion, before the meeting, of
> cancelling the whole meeting. ITU, however, had said
> that CCITT meetings should not be cancelled because of
> the war.
>

While I agree that there may not have been any real risk in attending a meeting
in Australia, I do not believe that the reason for not canceling the meeting
was the ITU statement that CCITT meetings should not be canceled.  This
statemtnapplies to CCITT meetings.  Technically, Rapporteur Group meetings are
not CCITT meetings.  No meeting below the level of a Working Party is considered
an official CCITT meeting, and any activity or agreements reached at such
meetings have no standing unless approved by the applicable Working Party or
Study Group.

Because Rapporteur's meetings are not "official", individuals who are not
CCITT members could be invited to participate.  This is not possible at
official meetings.

By the way, the joint Q27/VIII-JTC1/SC18/WG3 meeting scheduled for Melbourne,
Australia 4-15 February 1991 was canceled, since only 9 out of 34+ members
indicated they would come.

Herman Silbiger
SpR Q.27/VIII
Chair, Working Party 4, CCITT Study Group VIII.