Malaysia is committed to the peace process in the southern Philippines, a presidential adviser said Friday, denying reports the country was withdrawing its monitoring team.

Malaysia has been hosting peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the past four years. It has 60 military monitors based on Mindanao island to help enforce a 2003 ceasefire.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was quoted on Thursday as saying their monitors would be staying in Mindanao but not indefinitely.

But press reports that Malaysia was pulling out of the peace process are "stretching the context beyond credulity," said Jesus Dureza, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo's chief adviser on the negotiations.

"Malaysia has contributed immensely to our peace efforts," Dureza said in a statement. "And we are confident it will continue to be with us and other nations in our peace and development work."

The 12,000-strong MILF has been waging a rebellion for the creation of an independent Islamic state on the southern island of Mindanao since 1978.

The conflict has left more than 50,000 dead and tens of thousands more displaced.

The 2003 truce has often been marred by deadly clashes and the talks have been suspended since last year over MILF's territorial claims.

Members of the Philippine and MILF panels had recently met in Malaysia to try and end the deadlock, and another meeting is expected to be held within the month, Dureza said.