The Comoros could tame the feared Karthala, one of the world's largest active volcanoes, and use its geothermal and tourism potential to boost the archipelago's economy, experts said Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening of a three-day conference on the slopes of the Karthala, officials and experts argued that the volcano could be a goldmine for the Indian Ocean nation.

"However threatening he may be, the Karthala offers a huge economic potential and should be a real asset for the country and especially for the people living nearby," said Opia Mensah Kumah, country director for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Kumah's interest in the volcano, accessible only via very basic trails, also stems from a personal anecdote.

When he took office in 2005, he got lost on the Karthala's slopes, whose summit is only 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the capital Moroni. His brief disappearance had caused panic in official circles.

Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, the president of the Comoran federation, also attended the opening of the UN-sponsored conference and enthusiastically backed the project.

"Exploiting the Karthala, with the prospect of developing geothermal energy, should be a source of great optimism, especially in the context of the current economic downturn," he said.

Sambi said he hoped the conference would provide him with "answers on the possibility of exploiting this source of clean, renewable energy and transform it into a driving force for development."

The volcano's ecotourism potential should also be examined during the conference.

The Karthala's frequent eruptions have had devastating effects on the island of Grande Comore over the centuries. The latest major case was in 1997, when the village of Singani was virtually wiped off the map.

Lava flows were also observed in 2005 and 2006.

The Comoros came to global attention in March this year when rebel leader Mohamed Bacar fled to France's Indian Ocean island of Reunion as African Union troops waded in to restore federal democratic institutions.