Sharon calls Abbas to congratulate

Both sides said a meeting will take place, but no date was set.

Abbas' election victory on Sunday and Sharon's success this week in putting together a government that favours his plan to pull out of Gaza and part of the West Bank this summer have raised hope the two leaders can break through layers of mistrust built up over four years of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Alongside the optimism, both sides face internal problems. Palestinian National Security Adviser Jibril Rajoub resigned, and critics in Sharon's own Likud Party complained that his new government cannot survive without support from doves and Arab parties their bitter rivals.

Sharon congratulated Abbas "on his personal achievement and his victory in the elections and wished him luck," said a statement from Sharon's office, adding, "They agreed they would continue talking in the near future."