ABURI – Mali's military rulers face a regional deadline for naming a civilian interim leader Tuesday, as the junta meet with West Africa leaders who maintain that new elections must be held within a year.The 15-nation regional bloc known as ECOWAS had issued the ultimatum to Mali's military leaders after they initially proposed remaining in power for three more years.
In recent days, the junta that seized power in an Aug. 18 coup has cut that timeline in half, but it is still longer than the year set by ECOWAS.Another possible disagreement is over who will lead Mali's transition.
The coup leaders say the interim president chosen to oversee the transitional government could come from the military, but the regional leaders have said the.