Prague - Philippine Foreign Minister Alberto Romulo said Monday that he hopes for a peace deal between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels in the country's south by the end of the year.

"I am an optimist," he said after meeting his Czech counterpart Karel Schwarzenberg in Prague. "After we overcome administrative difficulties, we'll have peace."

Romulo said that the rebels were also tired of fighting and there was "a mutual desire" for a solution to the conflict lasting for decades.

The peace talks between the government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Muslim militants fell apart last month after a Supreme Court decision barred negotiators from signing an agreement that would have expanded autonomy in the Muslim south.

As a result, fighting flared up again in the region, leading Arroyo to dissolve the government peace panel which had been negotiating with the rebels.

On Monday, 13 people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed in clashes in the southern Mindanao region, military and local officials said.

Arroyo said the move would give the talks with the Muslim rebels a fresh start. (dpa)