Mali's main political parties on Saturday broke silence and condemned the coup d'etate two days after a group of mutineers claimed the takeover of state power.

The big parties against the coup include the ruling ADEMA-PASJ, URD, MPR, UDD, PDES, UFDP, PSP, PDJ, PDP and MDD, according to a common communique obtained by Xinhua.

The coup by force constituted a grave retrogress "for our democracy," the communique said, demanding "a return to a normal constitutional life."

The parties expressed hope for the restoration of peace in the north and the organization of free and transparent election, describing them as the two priorities for the moment.

They also demand the immediate stop of looting and exactions and the immediate release of all political and military personnel detained by the junta.

A National Committee for Redressment of Democracy and Restoration of the State (CNRDR) on Thursday declared takeover from President Amadou Toumani Toure, citing his failure to provide means for the military to curb Tuareg rebels in the north.

The coup came one month ahead of the scheduled April 29 presidential elections and the expiry of President Toure's second term of office. Many Malians consider the takeover as unnecessary.

Meanwhile, Capt. Amadou Sanogo, the head of the CNRDR, told state television that he is not afraid of an imminent counter-coup being rumored around in the capital Bamako.

The CNRDR on Friday said it would meet with civil society groups to discuss a solution to the crisis, but later postponed the talks.

The junta is facing mounting international pressure for a return to the constitutional rule, with the United Nations and the European Union strongly condemning the coup and the African Union (AU) suspending Mali's membership.

The 15-member West African bloc ECOWAS says it will hold an emergency summit on Tuesday in Cote d'Ivoire's economic capital Abidjan on the crisis in Mali.

ECOWAS is emerging as a crisis-busting body in the region after helping end the rule of junta in Guinea and Niger and stabilize the situation in coup-prone Guinea-Bissau.

In another development, economic effects are being felt in the Malian capital, where citizens are suffering a short supply of staples including rice, sugar, milk and fuel.

Traffic is limited more out of the fuel shortage than out of fear to venture out.

"I spent the morning looking for diesel around the city to the point of consuming what little I had left in the tank. I have not found and I was forced to come to park until things are improved," said Says Moussa, a young taxi driver near the National Museum in Bamako.

Owing to the closure of most petrol stations, a liter of petrol is now being sold in the streets at 1,500 FCFA (around 3 U. S. dollars), more than two folds of 670 FCFA before the coup d'etat.

Importers, however, argue that inventories are large and may take at least three months. Stations were forced to close for fear of vandalism, they said.

On Thursday, soldiers and security forces spent the day looting and robbing individuals of their vehicles. Then they went into the station demanding to be served free. Faced with this situation, the firms were deemed wise to shut up shop until the storm passes, said a trader.

Some are complaining of the closure of borders imposed by the junta.

"And with the closure of air and land borders, we must fear the same price speculation on basic foodstuffs such as rice, milk, oil. .. which are mostly imported," said a customs officer.

"Many supply trucks are currently stranded at the border with Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. Besides, containers of goods awaiting clearance were looted by soldiers and policemen," he added.

Many interviewees fear the coup might suffocate the Malian economy, which has been considered one of the most successful by the regional Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). Exports of cotton, mango and other products are blocked, depriving the country of important revenues.

With the sanctions of major financial organizations like the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the EU, life is expected to become harder in the days to come.