Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- 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.
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.
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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.
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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.
Meanwhile, in Misrata, NATO airstrikes hit parts of the city overnight and Sunday, destroying 14 tanks, an eyewitness told CNN, who did not want to be named for security reasons. At least eight people were killed and 22 injured from Saturday's fighting between the pro-Gadhafi forces and the rebels, according to medical sources in the city.
On Sunday, two rebel fighters died as they attempted to hunt down pro-Gadhafi snipers near the city center, another eyewitness said. The rebels were able to recover the bodies of 15 such snipers shot earlier Sunday. The snipers took positions on top of residential and commercial buildings, the eyewitness said.
Some youths, who had been part of the government's ranks until being captured in recent days by rebels, said they were teenagers and secondary-school students who had been forced to leave their homes in nearby towns and villages and undergo mandatory weeklong military training before fighting in Misrata, according to the second eyewitness.
Pro-Gadhafi forces continued shelling parts of the city Sunday morning, the eyewitness said. A steel mill near the port was targeted but the port is now under rebel control, eyewitnesses said. However, the port still holds about 4,000 foreign workers who are trying to leave the city.
Civilians living in the western sections of Misrata have been forced to leave their homes and have gathered in schools and friends' and relatives' homes near the city center, eyewitnesses said.
In a statement Saturday, NATO said its aircraft destroyed pro-Gadhafi ammunition stockpiles east of Tripoli that were supplying troops shelling Misrata and other cities. The alliance also made attacks on armored vehicles near Misrata and Ajdabiya, NATO said.
Opposition spokesman Shamsiddin Abdulmolah told CNN that rebels flew two attack helicopters from Tobruk to join the fighting in Ajdabiya.
"There were some 50 regime pickup trucks with machine guns and rocket launchers that attempted to enter Ajdabiya," Abdulmolah said. "The helicopters destroyed several of the trucks, and the rest took off."
Abdulmolah did not know what kind of helicopters the rebel forces used in Saturday's attack and could not confirm whether rebel forces coordinated the operation with NATO.
NATO is operating under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to protect Libyan civilians from attack.
The United Nations said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Cairo Thursday to head meetings on Libya at the Arab League headquarters. Among the participants will be Catherine Ashton, the representative for foreign affairs and security for the European Union.
While Gadhafi has largely stayed out of the public eye in recent days, state TV aired images Saturday of the leader visiting what appeared to be a primary school in Tripoli. The anchor said the school was a target of international airstrikes and was going to be attacked.
But NATO said in its statement that Gadhafi's forces continue to use civilians as human shields.
"We have observed horrific examples of regime forces deliberately placing their weapons systems close to civilians, their homes and even their places of worship," said Lt. Gen. Charlie Bouchard, commander of NATO's Operation Unified Protector. "Troops have also been observed hiding behind women and children. This type of behavior violates the principles of international law and will not be tolerated."
