The Philippines is confident of its chances of securing observer status in the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) going into next month's Islamic summit, Foreign Secretary Blas Ople said today.

Ople said he met with OIC Secretary General Abdelouahed Belkeziz and Libyan Foreign Minister Abdulrahman Momamed Shalghan on the sidelines of the UN general assembly and discussed with them Manila's application.

"Both officials continue to be supportive of our bid for observer status in OIC. We had that we will soon be admitted as an observer in the OIC," Ople said in a statement from New York.

The Philippines' application would likely be discussed in next month's OIC summit to be hosted by Malaysia, he said.

President Gloria Arroyo had earlier accepted an invitation to attend the opening summit of the 57-member OIC, which has been helping broker peace talks between government and the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

OIC member Malaysia is to host the resumption of peace talks, which Philippine officials earlier said are hoped to begin next month. - AFP