(Reuters) - An African plan to halt Libya's civil war quickly foundered on Monday when fighting raged for the besieged city of Misrata and NATO refused to suspend its air campaign.
South Africa's Jacob Zuma, leading a delegation of five African presidents, announced early on Monday that Muammar Gaddafi had accepted the initiative, including a ceasefire, but it looked dead in the water a few hours later as Gaddafi's forces bombarded Misrata.
Western leaders expressed skepticism and said Gaddafi must step down, while NATO said its air strikes against government armor would continue as long as he targeted civilians.
A resident of the coastal city of Misrata, which has been under siege for six weeks, told Reuters heavy fighting was under way on the eastern approaches and in the center.
Rebels in Misrata told Reuters Gaddafi's forces fired Russian-made Grad rockets into the city, where conditions for civilians are said to be desperate.
Earlier Al Jazeera television quoted a rebel spokesman as saying five people died and 20 were wounded in Misrata, a lone rebel bastion in western Libya.
TALKS WITH REBELS
The African Union delegation held talks with the rebel leadership on Monday in the opposition's Benghazi stronghold but the insurgents said they would accept no plan that allowed Gaddafi to stay in power.
Zuma did not travel from Tripoli to Benghazi with the rest of the delegation, to the surprise of the rebels, but issued a statement when he got home saying the mission was "a huge success."
A rebel spokesman said Gaddafi must end his 41-year rule.
"The Libyan people have made it very clear that Gaddafi must step down, but we will consider the proposal once we have more details, and respond," spokesman Mustafa Gheriani told Reuters.
Libyan officials have repeatedly said that Gaddafi, who holds no official state position, will not quit.
The AU delegation was met in Benghazi by up to 3,000 demonstrators holding banners reading: "African Union take Gaddafi with you" and "Gaddafi has committed genocide."
They pushed up to the doors of the hotel where the talks were held, yelling "the people want the downfall of the regime."
Officials from NATO, which is bombing Libyan government armor under a United Nations mandate to protect civilians, said they took note of the African Union plan but the alliance would continue operations while civilians were at risk.
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