Post-Tsunami, Small Islands Get Rare World Attention

The Indian Ocean tsunami disaster has given new urgency to a long-planned meeting of the world's small island nations and pushed the issue of developing an early warning system to the top of the agenda, according to Planet Ark.

Leaders and senior officials from 37 island countries and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will meet for four days from Monday in the Mauritian capital to discuss challenges bred by geographical isolation, limited resources and exposure to the violent whims of nature.

The tsunami wave triggered by a Dec. 26 undersea earthquake near Indonesia highlighted the vulnerability of island nations to natural disaster and pushed the issue of developing a disaster early warning system to the top of the agenda, UN officials said.