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Czech hockey goalkeeper legend Dominik Hašek is set to sign a one-year contract with HC Spartak Moscow on Monday, the club’s general manager told the Russian daily newspaper Sovetsky Sport. 45-year-old Hašek, a two-time Stanley Cup winner and a gold medallist from the 1998 Nagano Olympics, won his third Czech hockey league title last season with HC Pardubice, becoming the oldest player to win the Czech hockey extraliga. Dominik Hašek won his first league title in the season 1986-87 with the same club.

The three centre and centre-right parties in the lower house signed a declaration Wednesday over their intent to form a coalition government. The announcement followed the first three- way meeting between them. Up till now there have only been two-way talks between the Civic Democrats, TOP 09 and Public Affairs.

Civic Democrat leader Petr Nečas said it could take a month, at a maximum two, for a final coalition deal to be sealed. Seven separate negotiating teams have been formed to try and thrash out a common line on various policies. Mr. Nečas has been summoned to report to President Václav Klaus on Thursday, fuelling speculation that he might then be tasked to form a government.

The latest steps follow the first appearance of cracks in the coalition project on Tuesday when the leader of the Public Affairs party, Radek John, warned that his party might not join a coalition with the Civic Democrats and TOP 09. He said it might only give it support in parliament if its specific demands were not met. The junior party in the possible coalition has highlighted its demands to combat corruption and tax and health reform as potential sticking points in a deal. John underlined that his party’s programme was much wider than just cutting the public debt.

The problematic talks are being closely followed by the winner of the elections and biggest party in the lower house, the Social Democrats. They are especially interested in whether Public Affairs will be a full member of a coalition or just give its backing in parliament. Public Affairs leader, Radek John, has ruled out coalition talks with the Social Democrats even though he admits on some issues, such as health reform, they have more in common than with right-wing parties. Social Democrat leader Bohuslav Sobotka is sticking by the party’s demand that it is offered a first shot at forming a government by President Václav Klaus. But the head of the president’s political office has indicated that he will might not invite anyone to form a government at this stage and just wait for the first workable government project to be placed

Public broadcaster Czech Television has called for Foreign Minister Jan Kohout to protest to Israeli authorities about the treatment of its four-strong camera crew. They were on one ship in a flotilla stormed by Israeli forces on Monday night. Three out of four are being detained in Israel. Czech Foreign Ministry spokesman Filip Kanda said only two of the three had signed a document agreeing to their deportation. He added that they could leave the country in the coming hours. The first journalist to return to the Czech Republic was Czech Television cameraman Jan Línek. Deportation can mean a 10 year ban on returning to the country. Separately, Civic Democrat Senate head Přemysl Sobotka said on an official visit to Israel that he regarded the humanitarian convoy as a planned provocation.