Prague  - Czech President Vaclav Klaus's meeting with leaders of the European Parliament Friday ended in a rift, according to reports citing meeting's participants and Klaus' office.

The president, who is an outspoken critic of the European Union, was angered by questions from Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the head of the European Greens.

Klaus' aide told reporters after the meeting that the president "considers Cohn-Bendit's behaviour a big provocation."

Cohn-Bendit said that Klaus was infuriated by his question on his relationship to Irish businessman and anti-EU activist Declan Ganley, who successfully rallied opposition to the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland, aktualne. cz news web site reported.

Prague - Czech energy company CEZ has offered retail customers a price freeze for 2010, amid fears that high energy costs would hurt households and small businesses in the economic downturn, a company executive said Tuesday.

The offer came days after the state-controlled firm said it plans to hike electricity prices by nearly 10 per cent in 2009, a move that outraged businesses, worried that expensive energy would send them under in a slowing economy.

Prague  - Czech parliament's lower house is due to start debating the European Union's reform treaty on December 9, an official said Monday.

Lower house speaker Miloslav Vlcek called an extraordinary session on the Lisbon Treaty at the request of the opposition Social Democratic Party, which backs the charter.

The Czech Republic, which assumes the EU presidency on January 1, is the last member state to vote on the accord, which has been stalled since Irish voters rejected it in a June referendum.

Prague - Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek met with the Dalai Lama amid tensions between China and the European Union over French President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to meet the exiled Tibet's spiritual leader during his Europe tour.

Topolanek's spokesman Jakub Stadler confirmed that an hour-long "private meeting" took place Sunday at the premier's official residency, the Kramar Villa.

China strongly opposes the Dalai Lama's meetings with foreign heads of state and government.

Prague - The Czech Republic's parliament is unlikely to ratify the European Union's reform treaty before the country assumes the EU rotating presidency on January 1, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said Sunday.

Speaking in a television interview, Topolanek said there was not enough time left for the vote and that the eurosceptic lawmakers for his senior ruling Civic Democratic Party could reject the Lisbon Treaty amid the party's internal squabbles.

The Czech Republic is the last member state to vote on the accord, which has been stalled since Irish voters rejected it in a June referendum.