The need for such a system was put into painfully sharp focus by the tsunami that on Sunday devastated huge areas of southern and southeast Asia claiming at least 80,000 lives.

Pacific Ocean nations already benefit from such a system.

"There is no reason why this cannot be done," said Salvano Briceno, Director of the secretariat of the UN's International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

"We have been in contact with UN agencies, technical institutions and governments in the region affected, and find that there is a strong basis of knowledge, technology and collaboration and a real readiness to act," he added.

Briceno stressed the need to move swiftly: "I want to see that every coastal country around South Asia and Southeast Asia has at least a basic but effective tsunami warning system in place by this time next year."

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