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Unfortunately, he'll retain ownership, even though he might be out of the country.
Your best bet, then, is to either wait it out (when is he returning? anyone know?), or, depending on when the site will expire, to let it expire. When that happens, you can create a new site yourself, and I, verifying the validity of both accounts, can perform a database transfer.
Unfortunately, though, unless the owner verifies that he authorizes the transfer, he retains ownership. Consider the fact that just because he's out of the country doesn't necessarily mean that his house suddenly becomes someone else's property.
It's a tough situation for any guild, I understand, but unfortunately, the site is still his.
Alternatively, you can just create a new site now (granted that will cost you money), after which point, I can transfer certain data over from the old site to the new one, which would ensure that you own the site, rather than relying on him to verify the request with an email he cannot see.
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It's all in the reflexes.