KOBE--UNESCO hopes to soon narrow down an unexpectedly large number of proposals to set up an early warning system for tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the chief of the body said Monday.

Koichiro Matsuura, director-general of the U.N. Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, told The Asahi Shimbun he expects countries to present ideas for a counter-tsunami system during the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, which starts today.

UNESCO plans to have a shortlist of candidates by the end of March, in time for its experts conference in Paris, he added.

``The situation has become one where there are too many players, and we must consider how to narrow them down,'' Matsuura said.

While UNESCO has called for a warning system in the region for several years, few nations had shown interest.

Last month's catastrophic tsunami changed that. Several industrialized countries, including the United States, France and Germany, are now vying to have their ideas heard.

The United States has proposed a monitoring system based on the one in Hawaii for the Pacific Ocean, at a cost of $37 million (3.8 billion yen). Matsuura, however, has raised doubts about a system produced by one country.

Many nations facing the Indian Ocean have also offered to host similar centers.

Noting the politics of the issue, Matsuura said the decision should be made by experts.

Special sessions on the proposed system are earmarked for the five-day conference.

Matsuura also stressed the importance of setting up a global warning system linking the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, as well as the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas.(IHT/Asahi: January 18,2005)