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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=FR link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-18apr12-en.htm">http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-18apr12-en.htm</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Statement by Akram Atallah, COO<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=date-display-single><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>18 April 2012</span></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0cm'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>ICANN has been providing regular updates on the recent technical glitch that resulted in the TLD application system being taken offline.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0cm'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>As reported earlier, we believe that we have fixed the glitch. We continue to test the solution and to conduct research to determine which file names and user names were potentially viewable, as well as which applicants had the ability to see them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0cm'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>We will provide additional information tomorrow to address questions that we have received about the glitch. Please monitor the ICANN website at <</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/tas/interruption-updates"><span lang=EN-US style='text-decoration:none'>http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/tas/interruption-updates</span></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>> for further updates.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0cm'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Thank you for your patience while we work to resolve this issue and reopen the application system.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:FR'>Glen de Saint Géry <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:FR'>GNSO Secretariat <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:FR'>gnso.secretariat@gnso.icann.org <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:FR'>http://gnso.icann.org<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>