The Philippine government says it will resume peace talks with Muslim separatist rebels next month in neighboring Malaysia.
Manila's top negotiator Silvestre Afable said Friday that talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will begin in Kuala Lumpur on April 16.
Both sides have been observing a cease-fire for the past 20 months, monitored by a 60-member Malaysian-led international contingent.
The MILF, which has been fighting a three-decade-old insurgency in the southern Philippines, has renounced terrorism and pledged to help hunt down foreign extremists.
But the group has been accused of sheltering operatives of the regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah, accusations the MILF has repeatedly denied.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP.