.eh

Infobox Top level domain
name=.eh
background=#f0fff0


introduced=Not officially assigned
type=Country code top-level domain
status=Unassigned
registry=None
sponsor=None
intendeduse=Entities connected with Western Sahara
actualuse=Not available for use
restrictions=Not available for registration
structure=
document=
disputepolicy=
website=|As Western Sahara is a disputed territory, it has no country code top-level domain (ccTLD), but .eh is reserved for that purpose. IANA has no sponsoring organizations assigned to this domain. [ [http://www.iana.org/root-whois/eh.htm IANA .eh whois information] ]

These letters correspond to "Sáhara Español" (ESH, as Western Sahara was previously called Spanish Sahara) and also match Saguia el-Hamra, one of two provinces in the earlier Spanish Sahara [ [http://www.fotw.net/flags/eh.html Western Sahara at Flags of the World] ] .

On August 1, 2007, an international consortium made a bid to the IANA to administer the .eh domain on behalf of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic [The doteh group homepage, formerly at doteh.org, is now gone and the domain has fallen into the hands of cybersquatters] . Morocco has made competing claims to the domain. [ [http://domainesinfo.fr/english/095/desert-storm.php DomainesInfo on Western Sahara liberation front's fight for control of the .EH domain] ]

On October 16, 2007, ICANN decided not to delegate ".eh" at all, under the pretext that "there are currently two applicants for the delegation of the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .EH (Western Sahara). Both requests meet the technical criteria for managing a top-level domain. In cases like this, IANA has a long-standing policy of requesting that the two contesting applicants work together to find a mutual solution that will serve the needs of the local Internet community in the best possible fashion. ICANN does not see a way to approve the .EH ccTLD delegation to one of the applicants without violating its long-standing policy unless the contesting parties are able to reach an agreement". [ [http://www.icann.org/minutes/prelim-report-16oct07.htm ICANN minutes] (preliminary), October 2007] This effectively disables the domain, as evidently no "agreement" is possible given that the competing applicant is a government of occupation.

References