The 13-year-old peace process between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) continues to move ahead in the last few months of the Arroyo administration.

The MILF has submitted a “final and exchangeable draft on the proposed Comprehensive Compact (CP)” to Malaysia, the peace talks' facilitator.

Both parties should have given to Malaysia their CPs by January 20.

The GRP and MILF peace panels headed respectively by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis and Mohagher Iqbal do not meet or talk directly. Communication is passed through Malaysia. Datuk Othman Bin Abdul Razzak is the Malaysian government's chief facilitator.

The GRP is expected to submit its draft CP to Malaysia.

Undersecretary Camilo "Bong" Montesa of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) confirmed that an exchange of CP drafts will take place this month.

“That's the idea,” Montesa told the Manila Bulletin. He said that he can’t give more details because he is not the spokesman for the GRP-MILF peace process.

In an interview last Saturrday, Iqbal, the MILF chief negotiator, said the two parties will exchange the final draft of their CPs through the facilitation of Malaysia.

He said he sees a wide gap between the MILF's and GRP's final CP drafts.

“After each party has received the documents, we will study them and see what is our next move. We do not have to belabor the fact that these documents are confidential," said Iqbal.

The CP, he said, contains all aspects of the MILF's proposed mode of Moro governance and also reflects the "substance and principles" of all the previous agreements in the peace process.

“We in the MILF will continue to hold on to the peace process as we stress the need to resolve the Mindanao conflict through a peaceful negotiated settlement," said Iqbal.

The "spoilers of peace" are a threat to effort to end the conflict in Mindanao, he said.

Asked what he thinks is the major stumbling block to a final peace accord with GRP, Iqbal maintains that it is still the Constitution.

“But if the national government has political will and exercises it, then no stumbling block is too hard to hurdle. What has been agreed should be final," the MILF leader said.

On whether the International Contact Group (ICG), which is helping the peace talks move ahead, should be given a copy of the CPs, Iqbal said this has to be agreed by both sides and Malaysia.

Luwaran.net, the MILF website, said the CP submitted to Malaysia was reviewed for three days not by the MILF Central Committee alone, but also the various sectors of the Moro society to fulfill the MILF's policy of consultative and collective policy.

“We need to involve our people in major policy or decision to make it binding, popular and acceptable,” said Muhammad Ameen, who chairs the MILF Secretariat.

The MILF CP contains preamble and 17 other articles.