UNITED NATIONS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been concerned about the lack of unity in the Security Council in dealing with a number of issues, his spokesperson said Wednesday.

"You know, frankly, we've been concerned about the lack of unity in the Security Council for some while now, in dealing with a number of issues," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a daily briefing in response to a question about whether the UN chief is concerned about the inability of the Security Council to respond to the crisis in the Middle East.

"I think Security Council has a primary responsibility in the maintenance of peace and security, and we encourage members to find common ground to that end," he added.