The junta that seized control of Mali in a coup two weeks ago will hold transition talks this weekend with political parties and civic groups, including the June 5 Movement that launched a protest movement that eventually led to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's resignation.
A junta spokesman said the talks Saturday and Sunday are aimed at producing a blueprint for the transition.
A delegation from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States recently rejected the coup leaders’ plan for a three-year transition.
The bloc is demanding immediate civilian transition and elections within a year.
Mali's junta spokesman said a second round of talks will be held next Thursday through Saturday in Bamako, Mali’s capital.
On Thursday, the head of Mali's new junta visited Keita in a Bamako hospital, where he was admitted Tuesday for a condition that could lead to a stroke.
The junta says Keita is free to seek additional medical treatment abroad.