January 21, 2010 - The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has beaten the deadline imposed by the Malaysian Government facilitator that a final and exchangeable draft on the proposed Comprehensive Compact shall be submitted by both Parties on or before January 20.

The MILF draft was prepared by its peace panel but the green light for its submission was given by the MILF Central Committee after it deliberated on it for three consecutive days.

The review was not made by the MILF Central Committee alone but it invited senior political and military leaders including lawyers and educators. The indigenous tribes were also represented.

Mohammad Ameen, chairperson of the MILF Secretariat, described the review that involved sections of the Moro society as an implementation of the MILF policy of consultative and collective leadership.

“We need to involve our people in major policy or decision to make it binding, popular and acceptable,” he said.

Actually, the MILF peace panel had beaten the first deadline of January 11 but a source told luwaran that the Philippine government peace panel had some final retouches to do which prevent them to make it on that date.

Including the Preamble, the MILF draft contained 18 articles, which are not ready for public disclosures, according to Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief peace negotiator.

Asked about the government draft, he said “I am not privy to it, but I expect wide differences between our two drafts.”

Asked also about the possibility of signing the peace pact with the Arroyo dispensation given the limited time left, he said even GRP panel member Dr. Ronald Adamat doubted, citing the opposition from local government executives in Western Mindanao.

However, he clarified that the MILF position is to move ahead and see what happens along the way.

“Pessimism has no place in negotiation,” he stressed, adding that negotiation is the art of making possible the impossible.

Asked whether meeting in Kuala Lumpur is forthcoming, he said “I don’t know; that is the call of the Malaysian facilitator.”