Philippines President Gloria Arroyo flew to Malaysia today to observe the opening of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the presidential palace in Manila said.

Arroyo said in a written statement issued shortly before her early afternoon departure that the trip would have an "important bearing" in her government's quest to bring a negotiated settlement to a 25-year Muslim separatist rebellion in the southern region of Mindanao as well as to fight terrorism.

"I am going to Kuala Lumpur to seek broader assistance and support of the Islamic world for peace and development in Mindanao which will open up a wider spectrum of opportunities to promote the welfare of Filipino Muslims and enhance our diplomacy with the Islamic world," she added.

"As we seek the keys to peace, we shall also open the doors to development and progress. While we shall not negotiate with terrorists, we shall mop up the spawning grounds of terrorism.

"We shall continue to join the nations of the world in an earnest will to find harmony and stability in the midst of ethnic and religious discord."

Arroyo was the first president of the mainly Roman Catholic Philippines to attend an OIC summit.

She said the OIC summit, the state visit of US President George W Bush here on Saturday and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok, Thailand next weekend "mark the trend of the future". - AFP