Israeli Labor Party on Tuesday approved forming a coalition government with ruling Likud, local newspaper Haaretz reported on its website.

Party officials said Labor's Central Committee overwhelmingly approved the partnership, which will help Prime Minister Ariel Sharon avoid an early election and is conditional on appointing Labor Chairman Shimon Peres as second deputy prime minister.

However, Peres cannot assume the post until an Israeli law limiting a prime minister to a single deputy is amended. The Israeli Knesset (parliament) on Monday passed the first reading of the special bill, and Chairman of the Knesset Constitution Law and Justice Committee Michael Eitan on Tuesday promised Sharon that the legislation will be finalized by January 10.

Eitan, who is opposed to the amendment, was summoned by Sharon for an urgent consultation after vowing to call upon legal experts to weigh in on the so-called Peres bill.

Sharon told Eitan that he accepts the committee's decision to hold thorough discussions of the amendment, but asked the chairman to speed up the process.

(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2004)