UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said here Friday that he will appoint a special envoy to coordinate the efforts for relief and reconstruction in the areas devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami.

"In order to ensure maximum coherence and coordination in the relief and reconstruction efforts, I have decided to appoint a special envoy, " Annan told a press conference, adding that he hoped to announce the name by the end of next week.

International donors had asked the world body to name a coordinator for aid to victims of the Dec. 26 undersea quake and tidal wave at a meeting last week in Jakarta, Annan said.

He also restated his call for a global early warning system to be set up, which he said should cover not just tsunamis but also other threats, such as storm surges and cyclones.

Annan arrived here Monday for a UN conference on the future of small island states, who was engrossed in disaster preparedness and tsunami alert system both globally and most urgently in the Indian Ocean, where over 150,000 lives were lost to the devastating tsunami 18 days ago.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2005)