( CNN ) -- France on Saturday welcomed an agreement between military coup leaders in Mali and a regional bloc that would return the country to democratic rule , two weeks after a coup plunged it into turmoil . Mali state television announced late Friday that the leader of Mali 's coup , Captain Amadou Sanogo , and the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ) had signed up to the plan . The parties agreed to set up a transition process leading to a presidential election , Sanogo said , in exchange for the end of trade and diplomatic sanctions . A transitional prime minister will lead the transition `` to manage the crisis in the north of Mali and to organize free , transparent and democratic elections in accordance with a road map , '' he said . The announcement of a promised return to civilian rule came shortly after separatist rebels , who had captured large areas of Mali 's vast Sahara region in the north of the country , declared independence for a region they call Azawad . A French foreign ministry statement urged all parties to put the measures set out in the agreement into effect as soon as possible , especially those laying the groundwork for presidential elections . The presidents of Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso , both members of ECOWAS , will meet to discuss the next steps , the foreign ministry said . Once a constitutional government is restored , France -- the former colonial power in Mali -- will resume military and civil cooperation with Mali , the statement said . France will help the future government find a political solution to the problems in northern Mali , where the Tuareg rebels have gained control , it said . France also urged the rebel leaders to seek a political resolution . Journalist Katarina Hoije , in the capital , Bamako , said the coup leaders had been left with little choice but to agree to the plan after coming under sustained pressure from ECOWAS and losing ground to rebel groups . The rebels say they will continue to fight to preserve the territory they have gained , Hoije said , although it is unclear how much control they have on the ground . The rebel declaration of independence was made in a statement posted online by the secretary general of the Azawad National Liberation Movement ( MNLA ) . The claim followed `` more than 50 years of corruption and poor governance with the complicity of the army and the politicians , putting people 's lives at risk in Azawad , '' the MNLA said . In a statement , the African Union expressed its `` total rejection '' of the rebels ' independence claim . The African Union will do all it can to restore the authority of the government of Mali to its entire territory and `` bring to an end the attacks being carried out by armed and terrorist groups in the northern part of the country , '' it said . French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said the declaration of independence in northern Mali was meaningless if it was not recognized by African states . The rebels had called a cease-fire Thursday , saying they had captured key territory in the Sahara region and achieved their military mission . The Tuaregs , who consider Azawad to be the cradle of their nomadic civilization , launched an insurgency in January to achieve a separate homeland . The conflict has uprooted more than 200,000 people from their homes . Buoyed by the chaos after last month 's coup , the rebels swept through the north and wrested control of several strategic cities , including Kidal , Gao and Timbuktu . The rebels effectively split the West African nation in two , and northern areas remained volatile and tense , preventing aid agencies from accessing displaced people , the United Nations refugee agency said Thursday . Kidal , Gao and Timbuktu experienced days of looting , abductions and chaos after they were occupied by armed groups . The coup leaders had deposed the democratically elected President Amadou Toumani Toure because of his alleged inability to handle the Tuareg rebellion . CNN 's Bharati Naik , Laura Smith-Spark and Kamal Ghattas contributed to this report .
France welcomes a deal by coup leaders to restore power to a civilian government . The parties agree to set up a transition process leading to a presidential election . A new constitution is drafted and the country holds elections in 2014 with an interim president until then. The international community had imposed restrictions on Mali amid turmoil .