Former U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman reportedly asked Washington to pressure Israel into keeping the Greater Beirut Area intact during the 2006 war with Hizbullah.

In a WikiLeaks cable published by al-Akhbar newspaper on Tuesday, Feltman said destroying bridges that link Beirut with the Christian heartland which he described as “Maronistan” would isolate Christian towns from each other.

During a visit to Bkirki on Friday to congratulate the new Maronite patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on his election, Deputy Head of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan stressed that "Bkirki is a sanctuary for all the Lebanese."

"We must open a new page of cooperation and harmony as the country can only rise through its Muslim and Christian wings," Qabalan added after meeting both al-Rahi and outgoing patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.

Former Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir has reportedly informed ex-U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman during the 2006 war about his concern over displaced Shiites, saying they should return to their homes.

According to a WikiLeaks cable published by al-Akhbar daily on Friday, Sfeir expressed his concern over Shiites fleeing the bombing in the south and residing in Beirut and Mount Lebanon during a meeting with Feltman in Bkirki on August 3, 2006.

Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh on Thursday congratulated Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on his election and hoped for stronger ties with Bkirki.

“This is the beginning of new relations with Bkirki, and I hope we can cooperate,” Franjieh said after meeting with al-Rahi at the seat of the Maronite church.

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stated on Wednesday that weapons possession outside the authority of the state is not “eternal.”

He made his statements after holding talks with outgoing Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir two hours before the Synod of Maronite Bishops’ retreat to elect his successor.

Outgoing Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir reiterated that only Lebanon’s armed forces should carry weapons and described as abnormal the presence of arms in the people’s hands.

In remarks to al-Joumhouriah newspaper published Wednesday, Sfeir said: “We either have a state or we don't. Only the state should own weapons.”

The Synod of Maronite Bishops goes into retreat on Wednesday to elect the 77th church leader after Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.

Bkirki’s doors will close at 6:00 pm. The bishops will pray and hear lectures until Friday when the actual electoral process begins.

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri commended on Tuesday outgoing Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir’s positions on various national issues in Lebanon, describing him as “Lebanon’s conscience who always gave us advice on the country’s future.”

He said after holding a closed-door meeting with Sfeir at Bkirki: “The patriarch blessed the Taif Accord, opposed the civil war and led Lebanon to safety.”

In a brief lent message, Outgoing Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir urged the Lebanese on Monday to fear God and keep his commandments.

Sfeir also thanked all those who stood by his side during his service. He made his remark to Voice of Lebanon radio station.

Outgoing Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir denied that he had been biased during his 25-year tenure and reiterated that only the Lebanese army should carry arms.

“I support things that I see beneficial to the sect and the nation,” Sfeir told An Nahar daily in an interview published Friday. “I am neither with them nor against them,” he said about the different factions in the country.