AL QUDS, Dec 10: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon moved swiftly on Friday to forge a national unity government after winning approval to reshape his coalition and crushing internal opposition to his Gaza pullout plan.

Mr Sharon, who has been bereft of a parliamentary majority for the last six months, was given a major boost on late Thursday when the central committee of his Likud party finally approved his plans to bring the main opposition Labour faction into government.

After suffering the embarrassment of a defeat in a similar ballot in August, victory by a resounding 1,410 to 857 vote margin was particularly sweet for the Israeli prime minister.

A source close to the prime minister said he had already phoned Labour leader Shimon Peres to start talks on joining the government. "Negotiations should begin at the beginning of next week after the Labour leadership gives them the green light on Saturday evening," he told AFP.

The source added that Mr Sharon was due to invite the two ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, on Friday to join the government. While Shas, opposed to the withdrawal from Gaza, is likely to stay outside the government, the five deputies of the UTJ are expected to come on board.

The 81-year-old Peres, keen to taste power for possibly one last time, reiterated that he would welcome the opportunity to enter a new coalition in order to ensure the implementation of the so-called disengagement plan.

"We support Ariel Sharon's proposition to forge a new coalition," he told public radio. "We hope that this decision represents a step forward in the peace process and we will act to support the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank," added the former premier and Nobel peace prize winner.

Mr Sharon had warned that he would have no option but to call new elections if he was not given room to bring about a new coalition. After losing three coalition partners in little more than six months, he can currently rely on the support of only 40 of the 120 members of parliament.

The Yediot Aharonot daily said that Mr Sharon's threats to call new elections rather than a genuine change of heart among Likud hard liners was the main reason for his victory. -AFP