MANILA, Oct. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the rebel group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would be put off again for the Muslim's Holy month of Ramadan although the international peace monitor team would arrive Saturday, presidential peace adviser said Friday.

    Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said that the government panels and international peace monitors might be having difficulties in rescheduling discussions in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, due to the observance of the Muslim holy month.

    However, she noted that the delay should not be viewed as a "setback" to the peace negotiations since the peace talks is still on track.

    "It shouldn't be looked upon actually as a postponement or a set back, everything is on track, we are still on track, it is just a matter of scheduling," Deles said.

    "It is a consensus reached among all parties, it is something that would not affect our momentum (for the resumption of talks),"she added.

    On the other hand, MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu either saw any problem with the delay of the resumption of talks.

    "The schedule is really dependent on the Malaysian government because they are the ones scheduling the talks, they are hosting (peace talk), but never mind whether it would start before or even after Ramadan because what is important is the lines of communications are open," Kabalu said.

    Both government and MILF officials earlier said that the formalpeace negotiations would resume immediately after the arrival of the international monitoring team and their subsequent deployment in the southern Philippines.

    The international peace monitoring team composed of 34 Malaysian military and government officers will arrive Saturday inManila.

    Deles said that other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Libya and Japan, also expressed their intention to send their respectivedelegates in the international monitoring team, but the dominant country would be that of Malaysia and that the number of peace monitors would not exceed 60 at any given time.

    The team is tasked to strengthen the ceasefire agreement being observed between Philippine government forces and the MILF fighters in the southern Philippines.

    The 12,000-strong MILF has been fighting to set up a separate Islamic state in the southern island of Mindanao. Enditem