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flurry of reports from international organizations and news media over the reluctance of the government to take firm action against rampant attacks against minority groups has prompted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to adopt a more proactive approach to calming fears in the international community.

Yudhoyono briefed Jakarta based-ambassadors, diplomats and representatives of international organizations on the latest developments in the country on Wednesday.

Although there were almost no surprises in his address, which included a refusal to take firm action on the forced closure of a church in Bogor, West Java, the meeting itself at least set a more favorable tone in Yudhoyono’s efforts to reach out to global society.

When it came to intolerance and human rights cases, which have been constantly under international scrutiny, Yudhoyono reiterated that his administration had always been serious in handling cases concerning human rights violations and had never neglected focusing on the issue of religious violence.

He picked two recent incidents as examples: the widespread attacks against Ahmadiyah followers and the saga surrounding the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Taman Yasmin in Bogor, West Java. With strong support from several hard-line Muslim organizations, the local government forced the closure of the church, despite the Supreme Court’s decision that the church should be allowed to stay and that worshippers could freely worship there.

“On the GKI church issue, the government has continuously facilitated mediation for all related parties. I hope the church congregation can worship peacefully in Bogor.”

“I need to clarify this. The government has never prevented anybody from worshipping according to their faith,” said the President in a speech delivered in Indonesian.

“What we do is attempt to prevent conflicts and ensure that this country, the population of which is more than 90 percent Muslim, protects those with different faiths under our Constitution,” Yudhoyono said. “Our measures are never discriminative and we never neglect our attention to religious-related incidents, although our efforts have not always been covered by the media.”

The President warned the international community that if harsh actions against the opponents of church were taken, there was a risk of repeating the violent conflict between Muslims and Christians that took place in Maluku and Central Sulawesi several years ago.