Prague  - An ally of eurosceptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus launched a political party that aims to campaign against the European Union's Lisbon Treaty and run in June's European Parliament polls.

The party's leading founder Petr Mach, 33, a former aide to the president, chairs the Centre for Economics and Politics, a free- market thinktank founded by Klaus.

Prague - A Czech artist's contribution to an EU-wide art project to be unveiled in Brussels on Monday mocks Czech President Vaclav Klaus, an outspoken EU critic and global warming doubter, a report said Saturday.

The Lidove Noviny daily reported that a Czech piece in a giant jigsaw representing the 27 members of the European Union features Klaus' controversial statements running on a display set in blue background.

Klaus, who claims that global warming is not man-made and costly measures to curb it are a waste, promoted his views in a book titled Blue Planet in Green Shackles.

Prague - The European Union sees a "reasonable" chance for Russian natural gas to soon resume flowing via Ukraine to the 27- member bloc, a Czech official said Thursday.

"I think we can have some reasonable hope in a quick resolution for what is the most urgent need and that is to resume the gas flows," said Czech Vice-Premier for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra before a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

The Czech Republic presides over the EU until June 30.

Prague - The Czech EU presidency spokesman will not be fired for calling Israel's ground assault on Gaza "defensive" on Saturday in a statement that outraged the Arab world, Prague said Monday.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said the spokesman's statement was "wrong" and at odds with the Czech Republic's and presidency's stance. But he also said that he would not accept his aide's resignation.