President Gloria Arroyo has asked Malaysia to send a "ceasefire observer team" to the Philippines as her government prepares to restart peace talks with Muslim separatists, her spokesman said today.

"We are interested in the creation of a ceasefire observer team," presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said over government radio.

"And this has been formally relayed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople to his counterpart in Malaysia," he said.