Malaysia remains committed to helping broker a political settlement between the Philippine government and the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) despite a flare-up of hostilities in the south, President Gloria Arroyo said Saturday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad assured Arroyo of his government's support when they met earlier this week in Japan while attending a regional conference, the Philippine president said.

"I had a chance to meet with Prime Minister Mahathir about the MILF. His government remains ready to help us achieve a just and permanent peace in Mindanao," Arroyo said in her weekly radio address, a day after she arrived from a four-day trip to South Korea and Japan.

"I am determined to use diplomacy to help our country."