BEIRUT, Lebanon - A U.N. team in charge of helping the Lebanese government conduct upcoming general elections opened operations Monday. A U.N. statement said the team led by Carina Perelli "will assist the government of Lebanon in its preparations for the deployment of international electoral observers in parliamentary elections."

The team, which met with Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa and Acting Foreign Minister Elias Murr, said the possibility "of providing other forms of technical electoral assistance was discussed with Lebanese officials."

While the United Nations will not itself observe the elections, it will field a team that will remain in Lebanon during the voting to coordinate and support international observers sent by other countries and organizations, working with the Lebanese electoral authorities, the observer group and the national monitoring groups. (UPI)