The BBC's Jon Leyne says Gaddafi is "rolling out the red carpet" for
the African Union delegation
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Libya Crisis
South African President Jacob Zuma says the Libyan government has
accepted an African Union peace plan to end the eight-week-old
conflict.
Mr Zuma and three other African leaders met Libya's leader, Col
Muammar Gaddafi, in Tripoli on Sunday. They are now going on to the
eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
In Ajdabiya, pro-Gaddafi forces have pushed back rebels in fierce
fighting.
Nato says its planes destroyed 25 government tanks on Sunday alone.
The African Union's road map calls for an immediate cease-fire,
opening channels for humanitarian aid and talks between the rebels and
the government.
"The brother leader [Col Gaddafi] delegation has accepted the roadmap
as presented by us," Mr Zuma declared.
"We have to give the ceasefire a chance," he said, after several hours
of talks.
The details of the plan would be set out later in a statement, Mr Zuma
said.
Tanks destroyed
Nato air strikes have been continuing: the alliance says its planes
destroyed 25 government tanks on Sunday alone.
Eleven were reportedly destroyed as they approached Ajdabiya and 14
were destroyed earlier near Misrata, the only city in western Libya
still in rebel hands.
Accusing government forces of "brutally shelling" civilian areas, Nato
said it was responding to a desperate situation in the two towns,
under its UN mandate to protect civilians.
Reuters news agency photos said to have been taken near Ajdabiya after
a Nato air strike on Sunday showed a number of charred bodies lying
beside burnt-out pick-up trucks, on at least one of which a heavy
machine-gun was mounted.
It is one of the biggest series of air strikes since the coalition's
initial onslaught, the BBC's Jon Leyne reports from Benghazi.
'Dialogue'
In all, the African Union mission comprises representatives from five
nations: presidents Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Mohamed Ould Abdel
Aziz of Mauritania, Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali and Denis Sassou
Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, and Uganda's Foreign Minister Henry
Oryem Okello.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
image of Jon Leyne Jon Leyne BBC News, Benghazi
A full ceremonial welcome showed that Col Gaddafi wants to makes as
much of this visit as possible.
It is his first chance to come out of international isolation since
the crisis began.
The African leaders come with a peace plan, including a full ceasefire
and a negotiated transition to democracy.
But it is hard to see them making much progress as neither government
nor opposition appear under enough pressure yet to sue for peace.
The mission has called for an "immediate end" to fighting, "diligent
conveying of humanitarian aid" and "dialogue between the Libyan
parties".
Earlier, a statement from the South African presidency said: "The
[African Union] committee has been granted permission by Nato to enter
Libya and to meet in Tripoli with... [Col] Gaddafi. The AU delegation
will also meet with the Interim Transitional National Council in
Benghazi on 10 and 11 April."
The five-strong panel was approved by the European Union to mediate in
Libya.
Panel spokesman President Abdel Aziz said: "The main objective of the
panel is to put an end to the war and to find an adequate solution to
the crisis."
The mission faces a difficult task as the rebels have refused to
discuss a ceasefire without the removal of Col Gaddafi and his family.
Our correspondent also says that the AU team's plan for the two sides
to work together in a transition to democracy looks to be a non-
starter.
He says neither side appears ready to make the compromises necessary
for a ceasefire.
Col Gaddafi has ignored his own ceasefires in the past, including one
announced immediately after the UN authorised a no-fly zone over
Libya.
'Helicopters downed'
Fierce fighting has been raging for a second day in Ajdabiya.
Heavy gunfire and loud explosions were heard in the town on Sunday,
with reports of intense shelling of the town from the west, from where
pro-Gaddafi forces are attacking.
Click to play
The BBC's Jeremy Bowen was taken on a government-approved tour of
Misrata
One rebel to the east of Ajdabiya told Reuters: "There is resistance
inside the city. Gaddafi forces are fighting with rebels. They have a
presence inside."
Another said: "There are Gaddafi forces inside Ajdabiya in sand-
coloured Land Cruisers and we know there are Gaddafi snipers in
civilian clothing in the city as well."
Ajdabiya is important to the opposition as it controls a strategic
crossroads and is the last town before the main rebel city of
Benghazi.
Rebel forces had advanced towards Brega on Saturday but were forced
back by a counter-attack.
Our correspondent says that once again, Libyan government forces have
shown they are able to operate in a much more sophisticated way than
the opposition.
They outmanoeuvred the rebels by coming in from the desert.
Our correspondent says the rebels reported capturing Algerian
mercenaries from Col Gaddafi's forces, though this cannot be
independently verified.
Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said government forces had
shot down two rebel helicopters in the east but this also cannot be
confirmed.
He said: "A clear violation was committed by the rebels to [UN]
resolution 1973 relating to the no-fly zone."
Speaking in Brussels, the commander of the Nato operation, Lt Gen
Charles Bouchard, said that air strikes were also targeting government
ammunition bunkers and lines of communication.
He cited as "an example of Nato impartiality" a report that a MiG 23
jet flown by rebel forces had been intercepted and forced to land
within minutes of taking off from Benina Airfield near Benghazi on
Saturday.
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