JERUSALEM, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Coalition talks between Israel's religious party United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and the centrist Kadima party headed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are to resume in a couple of weeks, local newspaper the Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday.

    The talks are expected to continue when both Olmert and senior UTJ rabbis return from their respective trips to the United States later this month, said the report.

    Kadima, which won the most seats in the March 28 general elections and now leads the new Israeli government, has agreed to increase child welfare and extend a law that postpones army services of Jewish religious students, two demands by the UTJ to enter the governing coalition.

    The Tal Law will be extended for another five years when it expires in 2007, according to the agreement.

    The law, which allows yeshiva students to defer their army services, has been ruled by the Supreme Court as running against civil equality and may be considered unconstitutional in the future, said the report.

    Formally sworn in on May 4 as the new premier, Olmert formed a big coalition government in command of 67 seats in the 120-member Knesset (Parliament) after bringing the Gil Pensioners party, the center-left Labor party and the ultra-orthodox Shas party into the coalition.

    Olmert has vowed to draw Israel's final borders with the Palestinians by 2010 via quitting isolated settlements in the West Bank and enlarging bigger ones no matter if there are bilateral talks with the Palestinian side.

    While Labor and the Pensioners have agreed to more withdrawals, the right-wing religious Shas party has voiced strong opposition.

    In case that Shas refuses to back the so-called convergence plan, Olmert will be forced to add other parties to the coalition to secure enough support, according to the report.

    Olmert has said that his cabinet still leaves the door open for other parties to join the government. Enditem