Jan Egeland said it was the first time the world body had collected so much money in such a short space of time after a disaster.

"This is money in the mail to us, it is either there or will be within days," he told journalists.

The amount is equivalent to 73 percent of the 977-million-dollar appeal the UN launched last week to meet the immediate needs of the regions stricken by the December 26 catastrophe.

"We got commitments for 717 million dollars out of 977 million," Egeland said.

"This has never ever happened before, that we, two weeks after a disaster, have 717 million dollars that we can spend on an emergency relief effort," a visibly elated Egeland added.

As the meeting behind closed doors began just hours earlier, he had warned that only 300 million had been committed and cash contributions needed to be made far more swiftly.

Egeland said he was confident the appeal for six months would soon be met in full.

"I expect, from hearing of the very generous pledges additionally, that we will have 100 percent coverage of this emergency appeal."

Billions of dollars have been pledged worldwide in short and long term aid after the disaster, when an undersea earthquake unleashed massive waves that slammed into coastlines across the Indian Ocean, killing more than 157,000 people.

The UN appeal is just to meet the immediate needs of the survivors for the next six months. Officials say providing longer-term aid will require billions of dollars.

Donors signalled during the meeting that they wanted the relief effort to move to the next phase, reconstruction and rehabilitaton of the coastal areas, as swiftly as possible.

"We had a consistent message from donors about beginning to focus now on reconstruction," Egeland said.

Representatives of the two hardest-hit countries, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, told the meeting that they expected to present their assessments of long-term reconstruction needs to donors this month, according to the World Bank.

"Speed is the key," said James Adams, a World Bank vice-president.

The World Bank is expected to be the international coordinator for reconstruction, working in close cooperation with the affected countries, officials said.

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