President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday said the Jordanian government has offered to provide the Philippines with intelligence information in its fight against terrorist groups, particularly the Abu Sayyaf.

In a statement released by the presidential palace yesterday, Arroyo said Jordan's King Abdullah made the offer during a lunch for media persons of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in New York.

Arroyo was in New York yesterday to attend the WEF on the second day of her three-day visit to the U.S. She is expected to meet U.S. President George Bush today in Washington.

In their meeting yesterday, the president said the Jordanian king informed her that about 70 per cent of intelligence information that the U.S. provides the Philippines comes from Jordan.

"He told me that they might as well share the information directly with us," the president said.

Washington and Manila have been working closely to neutralise the Abu Sayyaf, which is currently holding two Americans and a Filipina hostage in Basilan. This led Washington to describe the group as one of the most dangerous international terrorist organisations.

Abdullah also asked Arroyo to immediately send to Jordan the head of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director General Cesar P. Garcia Jr. to coordinate with his country's intelligence command.

Arroyo said no details on intelligence exchange were discussed, but added that he was referring to the Abu Sayyaf.

The president said Jordan's offer is "very important," and she will dispatch intelligence agents to Amman. Jordanian intelligence also helped the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to assess the extremist threat prior to the American-led attack on the Taliban.

Jordan's help is expected to boost U.S. and Philippines' efforts in eliminating the Abu Sayyaf, an organisation, which both Manila and Washington say have links with international extremist groups.

American and Filipino troops are engaged in military exercises in Basilan and other parts of the Philippines. The drills are expected to last six months although some sectors fear that this could lead to a more long-term U.S. presence in the region.

The U.S. has identified southeast Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in particular, as potential breeding grounds for extremism that could provide training to militants who are capable of launching terrorism such as the September 11 attacks.

Arroyo said she is aware of the fact, as she noted in a Newsweek interview, and it was one of the reasons she allowed more than 600 American troops to take part in the drill.

"I would like to be successful in fighting terror so that we can move on to fight poverty, so we don't have another breeding ground for terrorists," reports quoted her as saying in the interview.