| Experts from the United Nations and Indian Ocean | | | | Experts say a similar system in southern Asia |
| countries agreed to set up a tsunami warning | | | | would have saved many lives in the Dec 26 |
| system to prevent a repeat of the catastrophe | | | | disaster. |
| that struck on December 26, Unesco said. | | | | Work will also begin on installing systems that can |
| A fully functioning system that detects undersea | | | | detect changes in sea level and broadcast the |
| earthquakes and broadcasts warnings to coastal | | | | information in real time to countries in potential |
| communities is expected to be in place by the | | | | danger. |
| end of 2006, said Patricio Bernal, executive | | | | Tidal gauges will be installed at six sites, mainly off |
| secretary of Unesco's Intergovernmental | | | | the coasts of hard-hit Indonesia, Thailand and |
| Oceanographic Commission, on Tuesday. | | | | Malaysia, Bernal said. Another 15 existing sites will |
| "The Indian Ocean countries have agreed among | | | | be upgraded around the region. |
| themselves to set up an early tsunami warning | | | | "We expect to have all those systems operative |
| system for the whole Indian Ocean basin," Bernal | | | | by October or November," Bernal said. |
| said. The basin extends to the 11 southern Asian | | | | A second Unesco-sponsored meeting will be held |
| coastlines devastated by the December tsunami. | | | | next month in Mauritius to finalise policy matters |
| At a five-day meeting at Unesco's headquarters in | | | | and broach divisive questions, including whether |
| Paris, experts also laid out a timetable for the | | | | one country would host a disaster warning centre |
| project and interim measures to help protect the | | | | or if the responsibilities would be distributed across |
| region that was battered by the killer Asian | | | | the region, Bernal said. |
| tsunami. | | | | Member states plan to meet in June to formally |
| Japan and the United States are to begin providing | | | | adopt the plan, but work is getting under way |
| alerts on seismic activity to the region starting on | | | | immediately. |
| April 1. The two countries have the world's most | | | | Officials hope to extend the system globally by |
| advanced tsunami warning systems, and a | | | | 2007 to cover other regions at risk, such as the |
| UN-co-ordinated network based in Ewa Beach, | | | | Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the southwest |
| Hawaii, issues alerts for 26 Pacific Ocean nations. | | | | Pacific. |
| Could be extended by 2007 | | | | |