MANILA The Philippines' main Muslim separatist force has agreed to resume peace talks with the government later this month in Malaysia, a senior adviser to President Gloria Arroyo said today.

Kuala Lumpur has been acting as an intermediary and the talks could resume "within the month," said Eduardo Ermita, Arroyo's adviser o­n the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The 12,500-strong MILF has been waging a 25-year insurgency to establish an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines.

No conditions attached

Norberto Gonzales, another Arroyo adviser, said the Philippine government was not dealing directly with the MILF but was going through Malaysia , which has been acting as a third-party intermediary.

"We deal with the Malaysians and the Malaysians have advised us there will be talks," Gonzales said, adding that there should be no preconditions attached to the resumption of negotiations.

Malaysia was due to host peace talks between the MILF and Manila later this year but this was stalled after the military overran an MILF enclave, the so-called Buliok complex, near the southern town of Pikit last month.

Over 200 people died in the fighting, most of them MILF rebels

Guerrilla reprisals

The fighting triggered guerrilla reprisals in recent weeks. The government has accused the MILF of responsibility for an airport bombing in the city of Davao that left 21 dead early this month.

MILF chief Hashim Salamat and his top lieutenants have been charged with murder over the bombing and are now the subject of a manhunt.

The MILF has denied responsibility and has demanded the annulment of the arrest warrants as well as the return of its camp before peace talks resume. AFP