Kyodo news summary

Asian Economic News, Jan 10, 2005

TOKYO, Jan. 2 Kyodo

---------- World leaders, int'l organizations to hold emergency tsunami meeting

SINGAPORE - World leaders and officials from international organizations will gather for an emergency meeting in Jakarta on Thursday to discuss the earthquake and tsunami disaster in southern Asia that is estimated to have killed around 150,000 people, Singapore's Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

Leaders from all the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will attend the meeting in the Indonesian capital.

---------- Sings of communicable disease seen in disaster region

GENEVA - Signs of communicable diseases have been seen in areas hit by last Sunday's massive earthquake and tsunamis in southern Asia, a senior World Health Organization official said Saturday.

''There are increasing reports of diarrhoeal disease outbreaks coming from displaced persons' settlements in Sri Lanka, in India,'' David Nabarro, head of crisis operations at the WTO, told reporters.

---------- EU takes negative stance on U.S.-centered aid to tsunami disaster

GENEVA - The health minister of Luxembourg, whose country holds the presidency of the European Union, indicated Saturday that the European Union disapproves of a U.S. proposal to create a ''core group'' to coordinate relief to Asian countries hit by the massive earthquake and tsunamis last week.

Luxembourg Health and Social Security Minister Mars di Bartolomeo, speaking at the World Health Organization headquarters, said that the United Nations should play the central role in providing relief aid to the disaster-hit areas.