The World Meteorological Organization said here Wednesday that it is considering to build an early warning system for tsunamis in the Indian Ocean to prevent future earthquakes from causing so much damage and loss oflives.

"The Asian tsunami disaster has demonstrated in tragic proportions the need for a global warning system," Michel Jarraud,chief of the UN agency, told a press conference.

Jarraud said that the organization will cooperate with the Ocean Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization to make detailed proposals for prompt establishment of a complete tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean.

The proposals will be discussed at a special session of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction to be held from Jan. 18 to 22 in Kobe, Japan.

"It may take some time to have a full, complete system in place," said Jarraud. "We expect some proposals to be ready for the Kobe conference."

It is estimated by UNESCO experts that the early warning systemin the Indian Ocean will not be completed until late this year or early next year, because a complete early warning network includesnot only numerous earthquake surveillance stations, but also a tidal measurement system to oversee the speed and intensity of tides.

So far the world has only one around-the-clock tsunami early warning system, which is in the Pacific Ocean, where 85 percent ofall tsunamis occur.