The United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan, has said that a billion dollars is needed right now to help victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami.

He was speaking during a disaster summit in Indonesia.

Many saw this as an occasion when the United Nations would be under scrutiny when Kofi Annan had to remind people that the organisation is the conscience of the world.

He presented delegates with a demand that they act now, that the huge sums of money pledged not all be earmarked for future development, that a billion dollars be used to meet the immediate needs of those whose lives have been upturned.

Meanwhile, Washington announced its decision to dissolve the core group of nations -- the US, India, Japan and Australia -- it had assembled to deliver aid.

Colin Powell said it had served its purpose and galvanised the relief effort. The decision has avoided the appearance of a split with the UN. There also seems to be added momentum for moves to freeze the debt repayments of affected countries.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Japan is willing to grant a moratorium.

The British chancellor, Gordon Brown, is to push for the G8 to follow suit: and looking to the future, the summit agreed to put a tsunami warning system in place in the Indian Ocean.

to be under scrutiny
incelemek, mercek altına almak

pledged
söz vermek, taahhütte bulunmak

earmarked
Tahsis etmek, ayırmak

upturned
harap olmak

dissolve
feshetmek

galvanised
canlandırmak

momentum
ivme

to grant
vermek, bahşetmek

a moratorium
belirli bir süre için durdurmak

to follow suit
aynısını yapmak, aynı yolu izlemek