Malaysia has extended its peace monitoring mission in the southern Philippines, deploying today a fresh batch of troops to monitor a government truce with Muslim separatists.

The 13 monitors were welcomed by the outgoing commander of the Malaysian contingent, Major General Zulkifli bin Mohd Zin, and Rene Sarmiento, chief peace adviser to Philippine President Gloria Arroyo.

Monre are due to arrive in the next three weeks to replace the existing batch of 60 monitors deployed in areas controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the southern island of Mindanao.

The mission was supposed to end in October, but the MILF and the Philippine government asked Malaysia to extend its presence to ensure that the truce held, Zulkifli said.

Sarmiento said the Philippines was hopeful of signing a peace agreement with the MILF either at the end of the year of the first quarter of 2006.

The next round of talks are scheduled to resume in Malaysia in the final quarter of the year.

"We are looking forward to the signing of the peace agreement at the end of the year or the first quarter of 2006. The arrival of new batch of IMT sends a very strong signal that the Malaysian government has much trust in the ongoing peace process," Sarmiento told reporters.

Truce holding well

Zulkifli said the truce was "holding very well," noting that there has been a "substantive reduction" of skirmishes between both sides since the Malaysian monitors arrived in October last year.

"I feel that the cooperation and commitment of both parties to the ceasefire has risen to a higher level of confidence and trust and transparency," he said. "I am very hopeful that things will further improve."

The 12,000-strong MILF has been waging a separatist rebellion since 1978. It signed a truce with Manila in 2001 and subsequently denounced links with foreign militants, including the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

It has consistently denied reports that JI militants were training in MILF camps in Mindanao.

Last week, government said it was hunting 10 Indonesian JI militants plotting to stage suicide bombings.