An existing pot of 50 million dollars (42 million euros) could be expanded on substantially, said development minister Gareth Thomas, but he admitted that a one-billion-dollar goal expressed by another minister was too ambitious.

Thomas was briefing journalists following a recent trip to Indonesia and Sri Lanka -- two of the countries worst hit by the Indian Ocean disaster on December 26, which killed 180,355 people officially, although tens of thousands are still listed as missing.

While praising the United Nations for its work in the wake of the tsunami, Thomas said the world needed a better emergency response system.

"The UN proved its worth again. But it is also clear that the international system for responding to this type of disaster does need strengthening," he told reporters.

"The Millennium Summit in New York in September provides an opportunity for us to do exactly that," the minister said.

"We believe here very strongly that a central fund is needed which the UN can use to draw down when a disaster such as the tsunami strikes. So we are pushing very hard for a substantial fund to be available to the UN."

International Development Secretary Hilary Benn made a speech in December proposing the creation of a one billion dollar fund.

"We are pushing for a fund of that sort of magnitude to be available so that UN agencies can draw down on those funds very quickly, and don't need to go around with the proverbial begging bowl to country governments, they can just concentrate on responding to the disaster," said Thomas.

But he conceded that the one billion dollar figure looked too ambitious.

"That is a figure I don't think we are going to reach. What we think is possible is increasing the size of an existing fund and slightly increasing the remit of that fund," said Thomas.

"I think the first thing is to establish the principle of the fund and then obviously for the UN to talk to individual donors, the US, EU nations etc. about what they might contribute to that fund."

Thomas also pressed the need for quick access to aircraft and helicopters in the wake of an emergency.

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