US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Lebanon to hold an 'open and free' election in June without outside interference.
Mrs Clinton arrived in Beirut for unannounced talks with President Michel Suleiman six weeks before Lebanese vote in a general election.
A senior State Department official said one of Mrs Clinton's main objectives was to reassure the Lebanese that US efforts to engage Syria and Iran would not come at their expense.
Her first visit to Lebanon also coincided with the fourth anniversary of the pullout of Syrian forces from Lebanon.
