MANILA, Philippines ? On the important Muslim feast day of Eid'l Fitr, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin declared he would be ?among the very first? to bring to a peaceful end the secessionist rebellion in Mindanao for an independent Islamic state.

The 66-year-old former Army general and ambassador said he personally wanted to see an end to the three decades-old conflict with Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels.

?In [my] nearly 50 years of government service, I?ve spent a significant number of years in the company of our brothers and sisters in Islam. I also got to nurture their friendship and experience their hospitality,? he said in a statement Friday as Muslims celebrated the end of month-long fasting during Ramadan.

?I have also witnessed the impact of decades-long mistrust over a conflict that could be resolved by peaceful means, by amicable and mutually acceptable solution,? Gazmin went on.

?If there is anyone who would want to build a lasting bridge for peace, I will be among the very first to make it happen,? he stressed.

Gazmin said Islam was ?a faith that builds an intense relation with God.?

?We hope that we, too, can share the same experience of your profound expression of faith, the quest for salvation, to listen to the words of the Koran and recommit one?s self to Islam,? he said.

Also on Friday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it shared in the Muslim celebration and stressed that it was after achieving peace.

It said soldiers in military camps in Mindanao also commemorated the celebration of Eid?l Fitr.

?The AFP hopes that all of us including those who bear arms share the gift of understanding that will unify us towards a common goal of peace. The AFP also hopes that the arms of war be laid to rest so that the olive branch of peace may be finally laid down in Mindanao,? read a statement issued by the AFP Public Affairs Office.

The AFP Western Mindanao Command headquarters in Zamboanga City reportedly hosted a congregational prayer for Muslim officers, enlisted personnel and their dependents.

Wesmincom commander Lieutenant General Benjamin Dolorfino led the distribution of packed goods to pre-identified indigent families in surrounding barangay (villages) in observance of the Eid'l Fitr custom of gift-giving.

The Army?s 6th Infantry Division in Central Mindanao reportedly distributed copies of the ?Soldier?s Handbook to Understand Muslims? to its soldiers and personnel to have a ?better understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture and traditions.?

The AFP said it hoped to distribute copies of the handbook to all military units soon.

President Benigno Aquino III announced in his first State of the Nation Address last July that he wanted a peace deal with the MILF during his six-year presidency.

Mr. Aquino has said the government was ready to resume talks after Ramadan, and has created a new five-member negotiating panel led by University of the Philippines law dean Marvic Leonen.

The MILF said it was willing to return to the negotiating table after Ramadan and welcomed the President's statement that Malaysia would remain as facilitator.

The MILF, however, has not yet named the members of its negotiating panel.

Peace talks between the government and the MILF broke down in August 2008 after the Supreme Court aborted the signing of the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) that the Arroyo government entered into with the MILF.

The high court declared the memorandum of agreement unconstitutional as this would pave the way for a new Muslim state in Mindanao.