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The Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic will pay a one day visit to the Czech Republic on Monday. The Slovak head of state, who took office last month, is thus fulfilling an unwritten agreement between the Czech Republic and Slovakia in that their presidents always schedule their first visit abroad to the former "sister state". The Czechoslovak federation broke up in 1993, but it was what the papers described as "a velvet divorce" and the two countries have maintained above-standard relations ever since. They supported each other in their ambition to join the EU and NATO and they cooperate closely within the Visegrad Group. On the eve of his visit to Prague, President Gasparovic described Czech-Slovak relations as problem-free and said he was greatly looking forward to the one-day visit.

Two of the three parties which are to form the new Czech government have asked for safeguards against future cooperation with the communists. The Christian Democratic Party and the right-wing Freedom Union have said they will do everything in their power to curb the influence of the Communist party on the Czech political scene. Their concern stems from the fact that some members of the strongest coalition party - the Social Democrats - have spoken in favour of a more leftist policy programme and closer cooperation with the communists. The party's acting chairman Stanislav Gross met with Communist Party representatives last Thursday to negotiate support for the new government, but no agreement was reached.

Although Mr. Gross claims that his new Cabinet will have enough support to survive the remaining two years in office, the razor thin one vote majority has evoked concern even among members of the three party coalition. The Christian Democrats seem particularly concerned about the stability of the Freedom Union and the readiness of all Social Democratic party MPs to back the emerging government. Christian Democrat leader Miroslav Kalousek has urged the designated Prime Minster to get a commitment in writing from all coalition deputies, stating support for the future government. Mr. Gross said he was confident that his party's deputies would all back the government.

The way could be open to the formation of a new three-party coalition government, after a deputy from the Freedom Union opposed to such a coalition, Marian Bielesz, resigned from his seat in the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday; the man expected to replace him, Zdenek Koristka, has said he would support a coalition of the Freedom Union, the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats.

The same three parties made up the previous government, which collapsed at the end of June following the resignation of Vladimir Spidla as prime minister.

If Mr Koristka throws his weight behind this formation, it will allow the acting leader of the Social Democrats, Stanislav Gross, to form a government and become prime minister. However, like the last government, it would have a majority of just one in the 200-seat lower house.

Mr Bielesz on Thursday denied suggestions that he had resigned in return for either money or the promise of an important post. He said he had quit parliament in order to reduce the possible influence of the Communist Party on the formation of a new government.