Manila (dpa) - A Philippine official on Tuesday belied claims by the military that the country's largest Moslem separatist rebel group was recruiting and training new members despite holding peace talks with the government.

Ramon Santos, an undersecretary in the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, said there was no evidence to prove the alleged recruitment and training by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the southern region of Mindanao.

"We cannot find evidence that there is recruitment," he said. Santos urged the military to consult their office first before making such public accusations, warning that these could jeopardise the peace talks with the MILF.

On Monday, Lieutenant General Edilberto Adan, chief of the military's Southern Command, claimed the MILF has recruited more than 4,000 new members in 2005.

Adan added that the MILF trained these new recruits in guerrilla warfare and bomb-making in what could be considered as "acts of preparation for war".

The government and the MILF, which has been fighting for the establishment of an independent Islamic state in Mindanao since 1978, have both expressed confidence that a peace agreement could be reached next year. dpa jg gl pw