NEW DELHI -- As long as media report fairly and honestly, justice will be done in achieving the goals of peace, said a leading Indian news expert on Wednesday.

Rajdeep Sardesai, the managing editor of India's Star News TV channel, told IRNA in an exclusive interview that the forthcoming international conference of news agencies on `coalition for peace' is important because such conferences were held under monopoly of Western countries, but now it is being held in Tehran.

Outlining the importance of peace for the world, he said that since regional conflicts have endangered peace and stability in the world including the subcontinent, peace has become the focus of the world community, IRNA reported.

On the importance of news agencies conference, he said this event will give an opportunity to the news agencies to talk to one another on bringing about peace in the world.

Sardesai, who is also the recipient of the global peace award in 2002 from the Indian cultural society, said on the importance of news agencies conference in Tehran that Iran, which has historical bonds with India, has broken the monopoly of news reporting and taken initiative to organize such a conference.

"West has its own agenda and it is important for U.S. as third world countries to focus on regional issues in this conference," he added.

According to the news pundit, the conference should focus on regional objectives and after identifying the common goals look for areas where to work together for finding solutions.

It is the forum where news agencies would be talking to one another for a greater dialogue to bring about peace in the world, he said.

Sardesai said that solutions provided by media personnel might be different from the solutions offered by the governments, but it can play a role vis-a-vis governments to achieve these goals.

Sardesai said the conference should have a declaration wherein media should commit themselves to a few basic principles -- campaign against all form of extremism, violence and respect for individual liberty in order to protect freedom of journalists to report on issues of conflicts.

The international conference of news agencies will be held soon in Tehran.