Tony Hotland, Nusa Dua, Bali – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on the international media Saturday to play a mediating role in conflicts rather than fanning animosity.

"You are society's conscience, you are the agents of change and we count on you to help the human race by promoting freedom of speech, spreading tolerance and advancing peace and understanding," he said in his opening remarks at the Global Inter-media Dialog here.

The forum is co-sponsored by the governments of Indonesia and Norway and has brought in around 70 media people from 44 countries. It was organized in response to the controversy over European editorial cartoons satirizing the Prophet Muhammad.

The row over the cartoons prompted media people from around the world to talk about the need for the media to promote peace and tolerance in view of religious and cultural sensitivities.

Yudhoyono said the media had to walk a thin line between supporting free speech and taking part in discrimination.

"Addressing cultural sensitivities does not mean you are compromising free speech," he said, citing the American media in the 1960s, which employed self-censorship in the portrayal of race riots and later race relations. This did not reduce press freedom but did help ease the violence.

Yudhoyono said many Muslims felt they were not being portrayed fairly by the international media and had complained of double standards.

"When non-Muslims are killed in the line of fire, they say, Western news coverage is more significant than when Muslims are killed routinely in Palestine, Iraq and now Lebanon," he said.

As the leader of the world's most populous Muslim nation, Yudhoyono said the Muslim community worldwide was not asking for special treatment but for the respect given to other religious groups.

He said the media should encourage people to move beyond their image of Islam through learning about one another and discussing any differences or similarities.

"In times of hostility, it is always critical to narrow the perception gap, avoid misunderstandings and maintain communication through accurate information. No one can do this better than the media."

Speaking on the same occasion, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said it was important to discuss the extent to which the media should take into account sensitivities that are not protected by the law yet deeply held.

"Freedom of expression can never be exercised in isolation from its context. Awareness of other people's sensitivities and of their right to be treated with respect should be part of all normal, civilized behavior," he said.

Any inter-media dialog, said Store, should provide media practitioners with a broader range of background information, ideas and interpretations to manage fundamental differences.

The international forum, titled "Freedom of Expression and Diversity: The Media in a Multicultural World", is expected to be held on a regular basis. Store said his government would be pleased to host the next one.