MK Shimon Peres will stay in Kadima, according to sources close to acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and will be given one of the first five places on Kadima's Knesset list. Peres will also be appointed to a ministerial post, according to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan. Olmert is to meet with Peres again over the next few days, and an open channel of communication is being maintained with Peres' allies, MKs Haim Ramon and Dalia Itzik. Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, meanwhile, is said to have assured Olmert he intends to remain in Kadima, and Olmert appointed Hanegbi in his stead as chairman of the Kadima election campaign.Olmert, who is said to have the backing of all senior Kadima members as Sharon's replacement, has been advised to make sure Peres stays with Kadima so as to avoid an atmosphere of erosion of the party in a post-Sharon era. However following a meeting with Olmert on Friday, Peres did not say specifically he would be remaining with the party, which angered senior Kadima figures. It seems likely that Olmert will be elected Kadima chairman, although it is unclear whether all faction members will agree that Olmert has the authority to determine the Knesset slate. Sharon let his wishes on the matter be known to his son Omri and cabinet secretary Yisrael Maimon.