MANILA (AFP) - An Islamic bloc plea for third country sanctuary to renegade Filipino Muslim leader Nur Misuari, now held in Malaysia, was shot down by the Philippines which wants him back to stand trial for rebellion, officials said today.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar (photo) and his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirayuda said President Gloria Arroyo and other Filipino officials rebuffed the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) proposal.

The ministers, who arrived here yesterday as OIC envoys, said they were told that "the Philippines is expecting that Misuari be sent back to the Philippines for trial in accordance with the judicial system here".

Arroyo's National Security Adviser Roilo Golez confirmed today that a plan to send Misuari to Libya, first floated by the Philippine government itself, was "no longer on the table".

The foreign ministers "acknowledged that Misuari must be returned to the Philippines and face justice here in the Philippines."

Misuari fled to Sabah last month after the Philippine Army crushed an armed rebellion by his followers that claimed more than 100 lives in the southern Philippines on Nov 19.

Sufficient provisions

Wirayuda said the ministers had conveyed to Manila "the interest of the OIC to see that Misuari be granted on humanitarian grounds a sanctuary to a third country given his pivotal personal role in making possible" an OIC-fostered 1996 peace accord that ended a separatist rebellion he had launched in the 1970s.

Syed Hamid said Malaysia and the OIC acknowledged Manila's position.

"So long as there is a need to hold him for further investigation, we'll do so because there are sufficient provisions in the law and at the same time there is an understanding between us and the Philippine government."

Misuari would be sent back "when the Philippine government is ready to accept him". The Malaysian official added: "We are interested to see peace and stability in our region, and the three neighboring countries work closely on matters of common interest. That's very important to us."

Neither side gave a timetable for the handover. Filipino officials earlier said they would be ready early next month.

"They have given us assurances that they would treat Misuari with respect and dignity," Syed Hamid said.

Not in jail

Misuari followers attacked police and military bases in Jolo island last month in a futile attempt to derail elections that ended his five-year hold on the governor's post of a Muslim self-rule region.

"We recognise and we respect the bilateral commitment of Malaysia to send Misuari back to the Philippines. We also recognise that it's an internal matter for the Philippines," Wirayuda said.

Syed Hamid said Misuari, 60, was "well" and that "he is very well taken care of". He is not in jail but is "under custody" and is "not under the status of a refugee or a person seeking asylum in so far as Malaysia is concerned".

Both ministers said they visited Manila as representatives of an OIC committee tasked to monitor the progress of the implementation of the provisions of the 1996 peace accord, which gave the 3.6 million-strong Muslim minority political representation in this largely Roman Catholic nation.

"There have been plus and minuses, but we recognise progress of the implementation," the Indonesian minister said.

Syed Hamid added: "We have to recognise that there's still a long way (to go), but you need to move forward."