Leaf to meet Mikati after meeting Berri and Jumblat

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf met Friday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, following talks with Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat.

Leaf had arrived in Lebanon on Thursday night, as part of a regional tour, after she visited Jordan, Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia.

She will on Friday meet with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati over an Iftar dinner at his house, media reports said.

Leaf will press Lebanese officials on the urgent need to elect a president, form a government, and implement critical economic reforms to set Lebanon on the path to stability and prosperity, the U.S. department of state said.