Malaysia will send seven military officers to Mindanao in the southern Philippines after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festival to assess the Muslim separatist rebellion there, the defence force said today.

The team would report on the situation in the area before the government made a final decision on whether to deploy ceasefire monitors there, Chief of Defence Forces Mohamad Zahidi Zainuddin said.

"They will be there for at least two weeks and the military is waiting for further instructions from the National Security Council and Wisma Putra (foreign ministry) before deciding the date for the team's departure," Mohamad Zahidi was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

Ceasefire observer team

Defence Minister Najib Razak said last week the deployment of a ceasefire observer team in the area depended on the outcome of talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The 12,500-member MILF has been waging a 25-year armed campaign to set up an Islamic state in the southern third of the largely Roman Catholic Philippines.

Manila has been under pressure to settle the rebellion by political means to deny foreign Islamic militants, particularly the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network, an operational base in their bid to set up an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia.

Malaysia has played an active role in peace talks between the rebels and President Gloria Arroyo's government. - AFP