The UN Security Council discussed Friday an updated report on the situation in Lebanon, where political parties remained deadlocked on the formation of a new government, reported the dpa. The 15-nation council discussed the situation with UN envoy for Lebanon Terje Roed-Larsen on the implementation of a 2004 resolution. Neither the council nor Roed-Larsen made remarks following the closed-door meeting. Beirut has been without a functioning government since January following the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The updated report by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that because of the political stalemate, Lebanon had not been able to implement the resolution, which calls for strengthening the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ban said political tensions had increased "markedly" since October after the prosecutor for the UN tribunal on the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005 filed indictments on people believed responsible for the murder.
