Ismira Lutfia – Tempo magazine and the National Police have agreed to settle their rift amicably, although the magazine has stood by its use of what police say was an offensive caricature on the cover.

A closed-door meeting on Thursday was brokered by the Press Council, which received a complaint from the police last week saying it was offended not by the controversial cover story about the allegedly oversized bank accounts of several high-ranking officers, but by the caricature on the cover of the issue depicting a police officer leading three piggy banks on leashes.

Pork is haram, or forbidden, for Muslims, and the term pig is considered a strong insult to most Indonesians. Tempo, however, has defended the caricature, saying the piggy banks represented the bank accounts referred to in the story.

During a news conference following the meeting, Press Council chairman Bagir Manan read a statement of reconciliation from the two parties, with National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang and Tempo editor in chief Wahyu Muryadi standing on either side of him.

He said the two sides had agreed the meeting was "a final and binding resolution," and that both had agreed to put aside any criminal or civil charges.

In addition to the cover caricature featuring the piggy banks, the police had also complained about the magazine's cover for its June 20, 2010, edition, which was headlined "National Police Chief Mixed Up in Coal Mafia." Bagir said both parties had agreed that the headline "did not fully illustrate the contents of the story."

Regarding the cover of the June 30 edition with the piggy banks, Bagir said Tempo understood the police's objection and therefore "regrets that the caricature has offended the police." He added that Tempo would also allow the police a right of reply in the magazine.

"This is positive feedback for us on what offends the police and we are sorry that it did, but we stand our ground that what we did was right and it will not dampen our journalistic spirit to reveal the truth," Wahyu said, adding that Tempo appreciated the police turning to the Press Council to resolve the dispute.

He said Tempo would wait for the police to make use of its right of reply and "we surely will make it our top priority to publish it as soon as they wish to do so."

Wahyu said this type of resolution was what the Press Law mandated and was in accordance with the specialized nature of the law. "But we did not apologize to the police and there was no infringement of the code of ethics," he added.

Media analyst Ignatius Haryanto said the dispute over the magazine's cover was "just a matter of taste and interpretation."

Ignatius told the Jakarta Globe that while he welcomed the police's decision not to pursue the issue, it should not divert the force's attention from responding to the report and investigating the suspicious bank accounts. "That is more important and more substantial," he said. "The public is waiting for the police to clarify that report."

Edward said the police had been investigating the suspicious bank accounts "long before they were reported by Tempo." He called on Tempo and the media in general to work with the police in their roles as "the vanguard in developing and fostering public safety."

Bagir said this was not the first time the police had turned to the Press Council to raise their objections to media reports, adding that this was something for which the police deserved praise.

"This is the correct action to take should there be any dispute between the press and their news subjects," he said, adding that the council would conduct a separate meeting to determine if Tempo had breached the code of ethics.