Gaddafi agrees to ceasefire, says South African President

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi finally agreed to a ceasefire call in talks with South African President Jacob Zuma. Gaddafi, who is under pressure from a new round of defections, however, didn't give any sign of paying attention to Western-led demands that he should step down, Reuters reported.

Zuma, who acted as a mediator, said after the visit on Monday that Gaddafi wanted a ceasefire including an end to NATO bombing. We discussed the necessity of giving the Libyan people the opportunity to solve their problem on their own, said Zuma without any elaboration.

After a few hours of his departure, NATO air-crafts restarted attacks in the desert settlement of Al Jufrah, 460 km (285 miles) southeast of Tripoli, Libyan television reported. The television also reported that a number of civilian and military sites in the capital's Tajura district were also struck by coalition aircraft.

There was no immediate confirmation of the reports.

It was Zuma's second visit since the conflict began in February. His previous visit resulted in failure since Gaddafi refused to end his 41-year-old rule.