Washington:  The UN Security Council is expected today to tackle the issue of unrest in Lebanon, US State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.

"I know there have been some consultations and are going to be some additional consultations in the Security Council, I believe this afternoon, probably continuing over the next couple of days," Casey told reporters.

He did not say whether the United States planned to propose a draft Security Council resolution.

"At this point I think it is not entirely clear what kind of action might come out of these discussions," he said.

"Certainly we think it is important for the council to be able to speak strongly on this issue. This is something that is of great concern to many council members."

National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley spoke yesterday of US efforts to put the violence in Lebanon before the Security Council to pressure Hezbollah and its presumed backers Syria and Iran to stop the violence.

An Arab League delegation was meanwhile meeting with rival leaders in Beirut today in a bid to mediate a settlement to deadly sectarian gunbattles that have driven Lebanon close to civil war.

Source : PTI