Manila  - Libya will beef up its peacekeeping force in the southern Philippines amid fears that hostilities between the military and Muslim separatist rebels would escalate following the pull-out of Malaysian troops, an official said Monday.

Jesus Dureza, presidential adviser on the peace process, said Libya has agreed to send 25 additional peacekeepers to the southern region of Mindanao to help monitor a 2001 ceasefire agreement between Manila and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The offer came after Malaysia began to withdraw its troops from Mindanao, where they had led an International Monitoring Team (IMT) since 2004. There are six Libyans in the team, while other members are from Brunei, Canada and Japan.

"We thank (Libya for) this gesture of faith to our peace process and we continue to hope for Libya's sustained and deepening participation in the IMT," Dureza said. "We are confident that all sectors will welcome this positive development."

He said Libya will dispatch an initial contingent of four monitors, while arrangements for the deployment of the other peacekeepers are finalized with the MILF.

On Saturday, the first batch of Malaysian peacekeepers pulled out from Mindanao. The soldiers were led by Major General Datuk Mat Yasin Bin Mat Daud, head of the IMT.

There are still 12 Malaysians in the IMT, and they are scheduled to leave on August 31.

The deployment of the IMT team has greatly decreased violence between the Philippine military and the MILF, which is the largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a separate Islamic state in Mindanao.

The withdrawal of the Malaysian peacekeepers came amid slow progress in peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF, triggering warnings that armed confrontation could again escalate in Mindanao.

The formal negotiations have been suspended since September 2006 over disagreements on how to set up a proposed Islamic homeland in Mindanao, home to the country's Muslim minority.

Philippine authorities, including chief government negotiator Rodolfo Garcia, have expressed confidence that the remaining members of the IMT would continue to ensure peace in Mindanao despite the Malaysians' pull-out. (dpa)