Head of Mali parliament returns from exile

BAMAKO, Mali -- Mali's parliamentary head, who was forced into exile after last month's coup, returned Saturday to this nation in crisis, marking the first step in Mali's path back to constitutional rule.

The 70-year-old Dioncounda Traore was by chance in neighboring Burkina Faso on March 21 when disgruntled soldiers stormed the presidential palace in Mali's capital, ousting the nation's democratically elected leader and overturning two decades of democracy.

While other ministers and associates of the toppled leader were immediately arrested, Traore remained free, though unable to return for fear of being detained.

Under intense pressure from the nations neighboring Mali, the junior officer who seized power 17 days ago agreed to return the nation to civilian rule, signing an accord late Friday in the presence of ministers from Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.

The accord is a milestone for Africa, and especially for the troubled western corner of the continent, where coups or attempted coups are still a regular occurrence.

The accord signed by coup leader Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo calls for the immediate application of Article 36 of the Malian constitution, which says that in the event that the president of the republic is unable to carry out his functions, the head of the assembly becomes interim president until new elections are held.

If the transfer to civilian rule is successful, it will mark one of the only times sanctions and international pressure succeeded in peacefully overturning a military power grab in the region.

Sanogo signed the agreement inside the military barracks which has acted as the de facto seat of government since he and his men led a mutiny there. They broke the doors of the armory and grabbed automatic weapons to launch an attack on the presidential palace.

In his two-week tenure as the head of country, Sanogo put up a portrait of himself on the wall of his office. The framed picture is designed to have the look of a presidential portrait, and includes his name, next to the title: "Head of State."