Prospects of a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have brightened after senior officials from the two countries resumed discussions, reports Xinhua.

Bringing a thaw in diplomatic ties, the Israeli prime minister's senior aide, Dov Weisglass, met with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat here Wednesday.

The meeting was held after Sharon decided to resume diplomatic talks with the Palestinian leadership, which is exerting intensive efforts to keep calm in the troubled region, Xinhua said quoting the Army Radio.

Senior Israeli and Palestinian officials will meet again next week to prepare for a summit between Sharon and Abbas, the newly elected Palestinian leader, Erekat told reporters after the talks.

Abbas' chief of staff Hassan Abu Libdeh also attended the meeting, according to the radio.

According to Abu Libdeh, an Israeli-Palestinian summit is to be held within two weeks if remaining differences over the agenda can be settled.

"The summit will be held within two weeks if we finalise all the details in the upcoming meeting that will be held next week," Abu Libdeh said.

Meanwhile, Palestinian sources said after Wednesday's meeting that Israel was going to hand over security control of four West Bank cities within ten days. The cities in question are Ramallah, Tulkarm, Qalqilyah and Jericho.

But a senior Israeli official said the issue had not been discussed as Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz was abroad.

Mofaz said over the weekend that Israel was ready to hand over security control of West Bank cities once Palestinian security forces were ready to assume responsibility there.

Israel cut off all contacts with the Palestinian National Authority after six Israelis were killed in an attack on the Karni crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip nearly two weeks ago.

Israel has also decided to stop tracking and killing Palestinian militants, fulfilling a key Palestinian demand for a truce to end the four-year-long violence, Israel Radio reported.

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also indicated a change in policy when he told Army Radio that Israel needed to respond to the Palestinian efforts.

"If there is a real change ... this is something we need to relate to," he said.