A consensus on coordination has been reached Saturday at a two-day ministerial meeting on tsunami early warning arrangements in Phuket, Thailand, which featured a competition among some countries to host a regional system. 

A declaration by participants from 43 countries and regions and 14 international organizations has overcome the debate on the location of the proposed regional system to highlight common grounds of coordination in the broadest way.

 

Thailand, India and Indonesia have competed with each other in having a regional warning center set up on their own soils ever since the December 26 tsunami disaster that killed at least 280,000 people.

 

Thailand has succeeded in including in the declaration its proposal of designating the Bangkok-based Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) as a "focal point" in the multi-nodal tsunami early warning arrangement in the region.

  

But Thailand's proposal suggests a warning system at sub-regional, regional, national and international levels -- as an apparent compromise designed to be acceptable to all countries.

 

Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai told reporters after the conclusion of the meeting that focal points should be set up in as many countries as possible, though "we need a focal point to coordinate."

 

All countries and regions agreed to "cooperate towards the establishment of interim early warning arrangements and strengthening and upgrading of national systems, while moving towards a coordinated regional system," the declaration read.

 

Delegates praised the holding of the meeting, which is a continued effort by the international community to build an early warning system for the region following a series of international meetings.

 

UN special envoy Margareta Wahlstrom said that "since the system has started in some countries, the meeting is a very good opportunity to bring together all nations in the region so that everyone can benefit from the system."

 

In an interview with Xinhua News Agency, a Chinese delegate pointed out that "participating countries have tried hard to reach a consensus in demonstration of the spirit of coordination."

 

Another key development is the introduction of a Voluntary Trust Fund on tsunami early warning arrangements in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, in which Thailand injects US$10 million as seed fund.

 

The fund has drawn wide support from the participants, though further financial contributions are expected in future, said Surakiart.

 

The meeting stressed the importance of strengthening national and regional capacities in providing public confidence against tsunamis, particularly through technical assistance to developing countries.  

 

Participants underlined the need that a regional early warning system should be tailored to the specific circumstances and requirements of the countries involved.

 

The declaration called for the need to "commence work immediately," showing the consensus on the urgency in having a warning system.

 

A core role of the UN in setting up the warning systems, both regional and global, was also highlighted in the declaration. 

 

In a meeting with Surakiart on the sidelines of the conference, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing expressed the Chinese government's support to Thailand's efforts to host the meeting and its promotion of the regional warning system.

 

China supports the UN to play a leading and coordinating role, and the 10-member ASEAN to be the key player in the proposed regional warning system, Li said.

  

After his meeting with Surakiart, Li toured and inspected the tsunami-hit areas in Phangnga Province where 3,700 people were killed, 5,000 others injured and 2,000 went missing in the December 26 tsunami disaster.

  

(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2005)