Doctors treating Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will begin bringing him out of a coma on Monday.

Hadassah hospital director Shlomo Mor-Yosef said a brain scan on Sunday showed a slight improvement in condition of Sharon`s brain, which was drained of excess fluid in an operation on Saturday.

Mor-Yosef said Sharon remained in "critical but stable" state following a massive stroke on Wednesday. He said the 77-year-old prime minister`s blood pressure and pulse were within the normal range and he did not have a fever. Mor-Yosef said specialists will begin reducing the dosage of Sharon`s anaesthetic, which has kept him in a coma since Wednesday to allow him to rest and heal, on Monday. Doctors will then be able to test the prime minister for brain damage and assess his chances for a meaningful recovery.

Meanwhile, Israel`s acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has held his first full cabinet meeting.

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