The Malaysian government Tuesday eased conditions attached to the return of 35,000 Bibles impounded in a dispute over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims.

The government, which is often accused of favouring the Muslim Malay majority over Christians and other minorities, said it would release the Bibles once they are stamped "For Christianity".

The move was greeted by senior church leaders suggesting an end to the row may be in sight.

The holy books were seized by customs officials after the government said the use of "Allah" as a translation for "God" in the Malay-language Bibles could encourage conversion, which is illegal for the country's Muslims.

Christian leaders claimed the Bibles were then stamped with serial numbers and government seals by officials before the offer of releasing them was made, "desecrating" the books.

But Idris Jala, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said in a statement that the Bibles will be "released with the words 'For Christianity' stamped clearly...No other words or serial numbers will be stamped on the Bibles."

Idris said the home ministry would issue this directive to civil servants to "ensure that there is no misrepresentation in its implementation."

He said Christian donors were willing to pay the impoundment costs of the books so Christian groups could release the Bibles without charge.

Stickers with the words 'For Christianity' could be used to cover any exisiting stamps and serial numbers, he said, adding that the offer had been made to church representatives last Friday but they had yet to respond.

However, Reverend Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches in Malaysia, who attended the meeting, said church representatives had asked for more time as their leaders were to meet this week to make a decision.

"We were to meet later this week but with the release of all the details, they are pushing our hands, it now appears to be a done deal," he told AFP.

"I can understand their urgency but the government must give us their strongest assurance that this will never happen again," he said.

The "Allah" row is one of a string of religious disputes that have erupted in recent years, straining relations between majority Malays and minorities who fear the country is being "Islamised".

Malaysia's Christians, who make up nine percent of the population and many from indigenous groups in Borneo who speak the national language Malay, say they have used the word without incident for centuries.