Embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has agreed in principle to stop all hostilities in his North African nation and let in outside forces to help keep the peace, his government and African Union mediators said Monday in a joint statement.

Embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has agreed in principle to stop all hostilities in his North African nation and let in outside forces to help keep the peace, his government and African Union mediators said Monday in a joint statement.
Ramtane Lamara, the African group's commissioner for peace and security, read off the agreement early Monday, flanked by Libyan government spokesman Musa Ibrahim.
The African Union team plans to travel to Benghazi to meet with leaders of the movement dedicated to ousting Gadhafi, who has ruled Libya for 42 years.
Gadhafi's government previously has announced unilateral cease-fires -- only to continue to attack the opposition. Those fighting to oust Libya's longtime ruler have voiced opposition to proposals, saying their main goal is to assure the departure of the longtime leader.
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The deal announced on Monday does not address whether or not Gadhafi will step down, nor is it binding. It does have four basic elements, according to the memorandum detailed by Lamara:
-- An immediate end to all fighting
-- Libyan authorities' cooperation "to facilitate the diligent delivery of humanitarian assistance"
-- The protection of foreign nationals in Libya
-- The start of talks involving various Libyan authorities, including opposition figures, with the aim of setting up "an inclusive transition period" to adopt and implement "political reforms necessary for the elimination of the causes of the current crisis"
The agreement, which the statement said Gadhafi had signed off on, states that the final resolution must consider "the aspirations of the Libyan people for democracy, political reform, justice, peace and security, as well as social ... development."
No timetable was spelled out, as to when and if a cease-fire might take effect or the political transition might take place. In the agreement, Gadhafi does voice support for the "deployment of an effective and credible monitoring mechanism."
"Leader Moammar Gadhafi expressed his full confidence in the African Union and its ability to successfully carry out the peace process in his country," the statement said.
Notably, Gadhafi has been a strong supporter of the African Union and has channeled large sums of money its way. Libya also holds a seat on the 15-member Peace and Security Council, which Lamara heads.
As such, opposition leaders have voiced skepticism that any mediation involving that multi-national group would end the conflict in a way that would satisfy their goals, which include Gadhafi's ouster.
The African Union's special committee on Libya is represented by Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Uganda and South Africa.
The Libyan leader himself made a rare public appearance in front of international media on Sunday, while the talks were ongoing. He rode off in a car as he waved to supporters near his tent, then later entered a second meeting with the African Union delegation.
These talks come as violence continues in the North African nation, where pro- and anti-Gadhafi forces have been engaged since February in bitter fighting.
After a series of setbacks driven by the advances of pro-government forces, Libyan rebel fighters this weekend recaptured the besieged city of Ajdabiya after apparently holding off Gadhafi's better-equipped forces.
In a hospital, witnesses told CNN on Saturday that three of Gadhafi's fighters who were killed were carrying identification cards from Syria, Algeria and Chad.

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