Tel Aviv - Israel's rightwing Likud party and the conservative Kadima party have reopened talks on forming a coalition government which were broken off two weeks ago, broadcaster Israel Radio reported Saturday.

According to the report, the Kadima would enter a government with Likud only if the latter agreed to a rotation of the prime minister post between Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu and Kadima leader Tzipi Livni.

High-ranking members of both parties have confirmed that secret talks between the two parties have taken place, with Netanyahu and Livni themselves having spoken privately some days ago.

The 59-year-old Netanyahu was tapped to form a government after February 10 parliamentary elections. Talks on a grand coalition between Likud and Kadima were first held in late February, but were broken off over the issue of policies toward the Palestinians.

Kadima circles stated that Netanyahu at the time did not favour a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, which foresees an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Netanyahu's Likud continues to hold coalition talks with far-right and ultra-religious parties, with the former opposition leader set to meet Avigdor Lieberman, the chairman of the ultranationalist party Israel Beitenu, on Saturday evening.

According to radio reports, Netanyahu and Lieberman are close to signing an agreement to form a government.

The two leaders in talks over the past weeks have agreed among other things to placing in the government agenda the overthrow of the government of radical Islamist Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (dpa)