Barbara Leaf says that US administration has no presidential candidate: Report

After touring several regional countries, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, came to Lebanon on an official visit to convey that the country is at a crossroads and it is at a very critical moment, aiming to listen to some officials and to convey Washington's special message.   

According to Al Liwaa newspaper, her statements came during The May Chidiac Foundation - Institute of Media, within the framework of the "Renewing Lebanon's Political and Economic Structures" project, which was organized in partnership with the Public Diplomacy Section at the US Embassy in Beirut, tackling the current situation in Lebanon.   

This article was initially published in, translated from the Lebanese newspaper Al Liwaa.  

In this seminar, Leaf stressed the need to elect a new speaker for the House of Representatives as soon as possible, noting that there is no presidential candidate for the US administration, but "there is a picture of the kind of candidate, which we believe Lebanon needs, someone who is not subject to moral criticism, someone who puts Lebanon and Lebanon's national security needs first, someone who works with energy and management on a critical set of economic issues."   

Regarding the support for the leader of the "Lebanese Forces" party, Samir Geagea, to the presidency: "The American administration has no decision or choice, and in addition to that, the Lebanese people alone are the ones who decide through the elected parliament," she stressed.   

She continued that she does not understand the lack of urgency that some political leaders and members of Parliaments do not seem to feel. 

The Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs continued that there is no disagreement, and "we talk regularly with our French colleagues and with many other countries because we all have one concern, which is the crisis that Lebanon is going through," adding that the Lebanese parliament and government can stop the collapse if reforms are implemented.   

Regarding the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement, she said that the US administration encourages this rapprochement due to its positive repercussions on the region, specifically on Lebanon.