Madrid - Spain has invited the Czech Republic to form part of its delegation to Saturday's economic summit in Washington, government sources said Friday.

The invitation will allow Marek Mora, a deputy for the Czech vice-premier for European affairs, to attend plenary sessions, the sources said.

Spain found the Czech presence important given that Prague will hold the European Union presidency in the first half of 2009, the sources explained.

Mora was also due to attend the summit as an observer with the French delegation.

Valencia, Spain - Jose Lello, president of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) parliamentary assembly, on Friday urged the West to adopt a new strategy in Afghanistan.

Lello met the press at the start of the 54th annual meeting of the assembly, which was bringing together more than 300 delegates from 50 countries in Valencia, eastern Spain.

Barack Obama's election as US president was likely to lead to an increase of troops in Afghanistan, Lello said.

Madrid  - The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the militant Basque separatist group ETA held meetings in Colombia, exchanging information about combat tactics, the Spanish radio station Cadena Ser reported Thursday.

The two organizations met at least three times, Cadena Ser said, quoting documents seized from ETA by Spanish police.

Palma de Majorca, Spain - A power cut Thursday left more than 500,000 households without electricity on the Spanish holiday islands of Majorca and Menorca, officials said.

The black-out affected all of Majorca and a part of Menorca. It caused traffic jams, cut fixed phone lines and affected mobile phone connections. Firefighters rescued people who got stuck in lifts.

Hospitals, ports and Palma airport functioned with alternative sources of energy.