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Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek says he wants to meet with the opposition Civic Democrats in order to agree on the terms of a referendum on the EU constitution. The Prime Minister said he was prepared to back the Civic Democratic Party's bill on a one-off referendum on the EU constitution on condition that the referendum was held simultaneously with the 2006 general elections. Mr. Paroubek said the Social Democrats were willing to abandon their drive for a general referendum law in order to open the way for a plebiscite on the EU constitution but he said he could not compromise on the term of the referendum, since the country could not afford to waste money on two votes within the space of a few months.

Torrential rain and hailstones have damaged homes and property in many parts of the Czech Republic. Insurance companies say they have received hundreds of compensation claims from people living in the south and east of the country. The town of Kojcice south east of Prague was particularly badly hit, with some hailstones the size of hens' eggs. Although meteorologists had warned of approaching torrential rain the locals said they had no idea what was coming. There is damage to field crops, farm animals, roads, the sewage system and even the river embankment. The damage is estimated at several million crowns in Kojcice alone.

Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek met with his British counterpart Tony Blair on Monday, at the start of a two day visit to London. The two leaders discussed the ratification of the European Union constitution, further expansion of the EU and the Czech military presence in Iraq. The Czech Republic operates a 100 strong military police training base in southern Iraq and has a small team of surgeons in the country. The mission of the military police base has been extended several times and the Czech prime minister said he was prepared to support another extended term if necessary. During his two day visit to Great Britain, Mr Paroubek will also decorate Czech war veterans at the country's embassy in London.

President Klaus has rejected criticism from former dissidents saying they were "lost" in present day society and incapable of sound judgment. Mr. Klaus aroused their anger recently by saying that non-elected non-governmental organizations /NGOs/ had a dangerous influence on public life. In a letter to the president the dissidents said that discrediting NGOs was an attack on fundamental democratic principles guaranteed by the constitution. The President said that while he appreciated the contribution former dissidents had made in helping to topple the communist regime, he suspected they were still living in the past themselves.