Family and close friends of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will discreetly celebrate his 78th birthday on Sunday in the intensive care unit at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.

The members of Sharon's ranch are expected to arrive at Hadassah Hospital on Sunday to spend time with Sharon's two sons, Omri and Gilad, although Sharon's advisers and aides have decided not to mark the premier's birthday formally.

"The greatest present would be if he opened his eyes," Army Radio quoted a family member as saying.

Sharon has remained in a coma for almost eight weeks since he was hospitalized on Jan. 4 for a massive cerebral hemorrhage.

There has been no substantive change in Sharon's condition since he underwent abdominal surgery two weeks ago, which removed part of his intestines after a CT scan detected a blood clot in his large intestine.

Sharon's condition continues to be serious but stable, although doctors have indicated that the longer he remains in a coma, the less likely he is to recover consciousness.

Sharon's birthday comes one month before Israel's general election scheduled on March 28, in which the centrist Kadima party founded by Sharon six weeks before his stroke is likely to win.

Source: Xinhua