According to Arthur C Clarke, the legendary scifi author and author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, it would be technically incorrect to call 2000 AD as the new millennium. He feels so strongly about people calling next year a new millennium that he issued a public statement today to correct them.

``Because the western calendar starts with year 1, and not year 0, the 21st century and the third millennium do not begin until January 1, 2001,'' Clarke said in a statement on Thursday. ``Though some people have great difficulty in grasping this, there's a very simple analogy which should appeal to everyone. If the scale on your grocer's weighing machine began at 1 instead of 0, would you be happy when he claimed he had sold you 10 kg of tea?'' Clarke questioned.

``And it is exactly the same with time. We'll have had only 99 years of this century byJanuary 1, 2000: We'll have to wait until December 31, 2000 for the full hundred.'' Clarke's view has long been held by people who doubt that anyone else can count.

Australian prime minister John Howard, for example, made the same point in 1997 - only to be called the party-pooper of the century in newspapers. Clarke said the psychological effect of the three zeros and the Y2K bug that will affect computers was much too powerful to be ignored.

``So everyone will start celebrating at midnight December 31, 1999,'' Clarke said, adding that 2000 should be called the centennial year and 2001 the millennial year.