Indonesian President Susilo BambangYudhoyono called for unprecedented relief efforts for the earthquake and tsunami hit countries Thursday at the Special ASEAN Leaders' Meeting on Aftermath of Earthquake and Tsunami.
"Our response to this unprecedented catastrophe must be equally unprecedented," said the Indonesian president in an opening speech in the capacity of chairman of the meeting.
The disaster "proves once again that humanity is frail and vulnerable to the forces of our natural environment and it proves that no nation can survive alone," he said.
He called for more help to children in the affected countries whose lives were heavily affected in the disaster.
The president also urged for the creation of a tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean.
The meeting, a clear expression of global solidarity with the victims of the natural catastrophe, is expected to reach a global commitment to assist in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the affected countries.
(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2005)
