Manila - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday ruled out resuming stalled peace talks with the country's largest Muslim separatist rebel group amid escalating violence in the troubled southern region.

"We will not negotiate with a gun pointed to our head," Arroyo said in a message marking the signing of a peace agreement with a separate Muslim rebel group in September 1996. "Innocent civilians should not be terrorized for crass political gain."

Arroyo last week dissolved the government team negotiating a peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) after the rebels launched a series of attacks, triggering the worst fighting in years in the southern region of Mindanao.

About 200 people, including at least 60 civilians, have been killed and more than 500,000 people displaced by the violence since August.

While stressing that her government remains committed to the peace process, Arroyo said she could not tolerate the attacks launched by "violent elements within the MILF."

"Our confidence was shaken by the wanton violence perpetrated by elements of the MILF," she said. "We can restart the dialogue when the area is secure and our people are safe and responsible elements in the MILF regain control."

She called for "calmer voices and cooler heads in the MILF" to prevail upon renegade members before the situation in Mindanao spins further out of control.

MILF rebels launched attacks on several southern towns in August after the Supreme Court stopped the signing of a territorial agreement that would have expanded an existing Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao, due to questions over its constitutionality.

The government eventually scrapped the controversial agreement on ancestral domain, which Christian politicians warned would violate the constitution and could lead to the country's Balkanization. (dpa)