Malaysia says peace possible in RP despite looming offensive

MANILA (AFP) - Malaysia on Tuesday vowed to continue its peace efforts in the troubled southern Philippines despite a looming military offensive against Islamic militants.

A Malaysian-led international monitoring team investigating the bloody ambush of 14 Filipino Marines earlier this month would not be pulled out, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said.

Albar, who was in Manila for an Association of South East Asian Nations ministerial summit, said Kuala Lumpur was trying to break the deadlock in peace talks.

"We are in communication with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine government to try and get talks started again," he said during a press conference.

The talks, which are being brokered by Malaysia, have been deadlocked since late last year over territorial issues.

They are now on the verge of collapse as the Philippines prepares for a major assault on MILF positions in the southern island of Basilan to arrest those behind the July 10 attack in which 10 of the marines were beheaded.

"We are doing everything possible. And with a strong commitment from the Philippine government... that gives us encouragement that it (peace) is possible," Albar said.

MILF forces in the south were Tuesday "on defensive mode" as police backed by troops were sent to arrest 130 members implicated in the ambush, rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu told AFP.

About 200 policemen backed by troops were on their way to serve arrest warrants on the MILF militants.

"Our forces are on a defensive mode. They (police) will not be able to get anyone. We told our forces to exercise maximum restraint, but they will fight back if attacked," Kabalu said.

"We want the international monitoring team led by Malaysia to continue with an investigation of this incident," he said, stressing that the fighting was provoked by troops who illegally entered an MILF camp.

Asked if the MILF had any message for Albar, he said: "For the sake of resolving the legitimate problem in the south, we want Malaysia to come in and share their support for the early resolution of this particular problem."

Malaysia, an influential member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, has been helping to broker peace talks between Manila and the MILF, which has been waging a decades old insurgency in the southern Philippines.