Prompted by what he said was “grave concern” about the latest developments in Libya, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hurriedly returned to UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday to join the Security Council in condemning violence in the North African country and dispatch high-level teams to two countries undergoing regime change.

As a first step, Ban announced that he is sending Lynne Pascoe, the UN under-secretary-general for political affairs, to Egypt, and another team headed by a senior UN official to Tunisia.

He did so as diplomatic discussions continued in and around UN headquarters on the banks of Manhattan’s East River and in capitals around the world on what more might or could be done about the situation in Libya.

Diplomats have been discussing the situation and were only able to unify over the Council’s Tuesday press statement. Their talks continue.

Scores of nations have great numbers of citizens in Libya — numbering in the tens of thousands of people in some cases — and their capitals fear for their lives as they try to evacuate them.

Even some of the fewer than 30 international UN staff members feel they may become victims following reports Gaddafi has employed mercenaries and that his opponents might mistake UN personnel for paid foreign henchmen.

Ban cut short late Tuesday a trip to the west coast of the United States. He returned to New York from Los Angeles, California, where he was participating in one of a series of irregular domestic U.S. journeys to promote the world organization.

Ban’s spokesman, Martin Nesirky, told reporters the UN chief endorsed the UN Security Council’s statement of Tuesday condemning the use of force against civilians in Libya and called on the government to address the demands of the Libyan people.

“The secretary-general said that at this crucial juncture it’s imperative that the international community maintain its unity and act together to ensure a prompt and peaceful transition,” Nesirky said.

In the face of it, the Security Council did act remarkably fast in getting out the Tuesday statement, albeit even though it was “only” a press statement, the lowest form of consensus statement the panel of 15 can make.

It is only read out to reporters by the president of the Security Council, usually with copies distributed later. It ranks behind a Presidential Statement which also is read out by the council president, but in the august chamber of the panel with representatives of the 15 member nations sitting around the golden-horseshoe-shaped table.

The Presidential Statement also is entered as a formal UN document of the council, even though it does not carry the weight of international law as does a resolution.

Because of unconfirmed reports Libyan aircraft have been targeting protest, there have been calls for no-fly ones as carried out over Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. In his televised speech on Tuesday, Libyan leader Gaddafi denied use of force against protestors.

Such zones would have to be enforced by air forces and that would require getting countries to sign up and bases established, or aircraft carriers stationed to support them. It would take time.

Back in New York Wednesday, Ban first called a meeting of senior advisers, later announcing he was dispatching to Egypt on Thursday Undersecretary-General B. Lynn Pascoe, chief of the Political Affairs department, along with other senior officials. A high level delegation was also being sent this weekend to Tunisia.

It also shows the world organization is doing “something.”

The secretary-general then met with reporters to express his concerns.

“We are closely watching developments in Bahrain, Yemen and other countries,” he said. “We viewed the recent events in Libya with particularly grave concern. The current situation is unpredictable and could go in any number of directions, many of them dangerous. At this critical juncture it is imperative that the international community maintain unity and act together to ensure a prompt and peaceful transition.”

Ban clearly anticipates change.

Recalling what his advisers told him about Libya, the secretary-general said: “The reported nature and scale of effects of the attacks on civilians are egregious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.”

He said those who are responsible must be held accountable in courts of law.

He also welcomed the convening of a special session in Geneva on Friday of the Human Rights Council which could lead to establishment of an international inquiry into alleged human rights violations in Libya.

This also gives the United Nations a bit more time to get people and information out of Libya and, if the member states of the world organization want, to build a case against Libya for real action.

Time and the tide of events in Libya will tell just how far UN members will want to go.