Prague - US President Barack Obama and leaders of the European Union are scheduled to meet at a summit in Prague on April 5, EU presidency spokeswoman Michaela Jelinkova confirmed Monday.

The Czech Republic, which holds a rotating presidency of the 27- member bloc until June 30, has been pressing the US leader to visit Prague during his April European trip, during which he is to attend a NATO summit held jointly in France and Germany.

Prague - The European Union members who have not yet done so should
strive to meet the criteria for adopting the euro, EU Commissioner for
Economic and Financial Affairs Joaquin Almunia said on Monday.

"The euro provides a considerable shield from the worst effects of
economic turbulence, as we have seen during the current crisis,"
Almunia told a conference on economic effects of EU enlargement in
Prague.

The commissioner warned that tougher surveillance of the 16 economies
that use the euro "will have to go hand in hand" with area's expansion
in order to maintain stability.

Prague  - Since headlines began asking whether Eastern Europe is like an "Argentina on the Danube", those of the region's countries that are in better financial shape have contested that grim image.

A flurry of reports describing Eastern Europe as "the eye of the next financial storm" have included the Czech Republic and Poland despite their economies being seen as capable of weathering the downturn with less damage than some of their neighbours.

As the bad news spreads, traders in far-away financial hubs have been shedding the Czech koruna and Polish zloty alongside currencies in region's troubled spots such as Hungary and Latvia.

Prague - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that a new Palestinian government should include the Islamist movement Hamas and respect existing peace commitments.

"We wish that Hamas be represented within (a government) of national unity and that this government takes a unified stance towards accomplishing peace," he told reporters after meeting his Czech counterpart Vaclav Klaus during a visit to Prague.

Prague  - The Czech Republic's budget gap is likely to exceed 4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009, a Finance Ministry official said Sunday.

"I do not believe that the deficit of public finances would ... be lower than 4 per cent," Deputy Finance Minister Eduard Janota said in a television debate.

Such a deficit would mar prospects for a speedy adoption of the euro, as the European Union requires candidates to keep their fiscal gaps under 3 per cent of GDP.

Prague - The European Union condemns Israeli plans for settlement expansion in the West Bank, the Czech EU presidency said in a statement delivered on behalf of the 27-member bloc.

The EU called on Israel in the statement issued late Friday to reconsider plans for construction in the vicinity of the Adam settlement in the West Bank, as it would violate international law and Israel's commitments made to the Palestinians in the Annapolis peace talks.

The union said that expansion of the settlements "is a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East."