GORKI - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon courted support on Friday from permanent Security Council member Russia, which has criticised UN-sanctioned military action in Libya.

"I'd like to really count on your strong support, leadership and guidance in continuing my work as secretary-general," Ban told Dmitry Medvedev at the start of a meeting at the Russian president's residence outside Moscow.

Ban is in the final year of his term as head of the world body, and diplomats say the United States and other key Security Council members have given preliminary pledges of support for a second five-year term.

But his spokesman said Ban's public comment was not intended as a request for support for a possible second term.

"The secretary-general's five-year term runs until the end of this year. He has plenty to do between now and then," Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

"What he was asking for was Russia's support for the full range of United Nations work on major topics such as climate change, developments in the Middle East and North Africa, the Korean peninsula and nuclear safety."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was also in the meeting, said Russia would continue "trusting, close working contacts with the secretary-general," but also emphasised Russia's concerns regarding UN-mandated use of force.

"We discussed ... the need to observe the mandates of the United Nations, especially in the situations linked to the use of force, and (to ensure) a more precise phrasing of these mandates," he said.

Russia abstained from the Security Council vote last month on the resolution that authorised the use of military force to enforce a no-fly zone and protect civilians in Libya, but has accused a NATO-led coalition of going beyond its mandate.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at the time that the Libya resolution reminded him of "a medieval call for crusades".

Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, has not publicly declared his candidacy for re-appointment, which is expected in the coming months. But diplomats say he has made clear in private his intention to seek a second term.