Any time he has an official message for US visitors, he hopes to send instant fax messages to all tourist properties.

He wants to be able to contact fellow citizens quickly in case of a family emergency or if they need urgent travel information.

American consul Mr. Stephen Kish is asking all hotels and guest cottages to join the fax network.

He said he often got urgent messages from US officials trying to get in touch with an American citizen whose near relative had died.

Americans might also need information about a natural disaster back home or travel difficulties in the next country they visited, he said.

"We foresee being able to pass on both formal US government statements, such as presidential proclamations and state department travel advisories, and more general information that we receive from Washington on events occurring within the United States, such as the California earthquakes or last year's midwest floods.'' The system could also be used to evacuate US citizens, said Mr. Kish.

"It's just a very routine kind of thing. The idea is to just hit one button on the fax machine and get everybody.''