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. An AU team is now going on to the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

In Ajdabiya, pro-Gaddafi forces have pushed back rift gold rebels in fierce fighting.

Nato says its planes destroyed 25 government tanks on Sunday alone.

The AU deal's main points are an immediate ceasefire, the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, protection of foreign nationals, and a dialogue between the government and rebels on a political settlement.

"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.

Mr Zuma is now returning to South Africa. His foreign minister and the other AU heads of state will travel to Benghazi on Monday.

The British-based representative of the Libyan opposition leadership, Guma al-Gamaty, has told the BBC that they would look carefully at the AU plan, but rift gold  that any deal designed to keep Colonel Gaddafi or his sons in place would not be acceptable.

An AU official said the idea of Col Gaddafi stepping down had been discussed, but gave no further details.

"There was some discussion on this but I cannot report on this. It has to remain confidential," said AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Ramtane Lamamra.

"It's up to the Libyan people to chose their leaders democratically."

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 was one of the biggest series of air strikes since the coalition's initial onslaught（猛攻，突击） , the BBC's Jon Leyne reports from Benghazi.