April 11, 2011 9:40 AM

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Gaddafi accepts African Union's road map for cease-fire with rebels

South African President Jacob Zuma says Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has accepted the African Union's “road map” for a cease-fire with rebels.Zuma and other African leaders travelled to Tripoli to meet Gaddafi yesterday and will be in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi today to meet leaders of the opposition.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.Gaddafi has ignored the cease-fire he announced after international air strikes were authorised last month, and he rejects rebel demands that he step down.Meanwhile, pro-Gaddafi troops shelled rebel positions in Ajdabiya rebels for the control of the gateway to the opposition stronghold of Benghazi. News Channel Al Jazeera reported the rebels had been outflanked by pro-Gaddafi forcesand forced back from their advance on Brega, 80-km west of Ajdabiya.Quoting military sources the channel added that Gaddafi's forces managed to advance overnight from the southern desert and started shelling from that area.The Arab channel said that street fighting going on inside Ajdabiya between rebels and Gaddafi loyalists. This is a very serious development because there is now fighting on two fronts – around Ajdabiya and around Brega,”Media reports said at least 12 rebels were killed in the fighting in and around crossroads of Ajdabiya over the weekend. The Libyan government claimed that it had downed two helicopters belonging to the opposition which were undermining the 'no-fly' zone enforced by the NATO.Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said a clear violation was committed by the rebels to [UN] resolution 1973 relating to the no-fly zone.

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