Related articles

The Czech Republic has just marked the 5th anniversary of NATO membership, and joins the European Union in less than six weeks' time. But while the Czech Republic and most of central and eastern Europe is now safely ensconced in NATO and the EU, attention is now shifting to the south and the east - towards the Balkans, the Black Sea, even the Caucasus. Last week, leaders of more than a dozen countries met in the Slovak capital Bratislava, to discuss the future of European integration. Rob Cameron attended the summit, and has this report.

NATO Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer was originally supposed to spend a whole day in the Czech Republic on Thursday, meeting the country's top officials and taking part in the official celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Czech Republic's accession to NATO. But a sudden outbreak of violence in the Serb province of Kosovo made Mr Scheffer cut short his visit and change its agenda.

Once again topics dominating the front pages include the war on - and the prevention of - terrorism with both Mlada Fronta Dnes and Lidove Noviny describing the latest request that the elite Czech anti-chemical unit to be posted in Athens during this year's Summer Olympic Games. After last week's bombings in Madrid Greece asked NATO for Czech help to bolster security during the games but, as Mlada Fronta Dnes writes, nothing has been decided so far.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has called for an end to the ethnic violence between Serbs and Albanians in the south Serbian province of Kosovo which has claimed at least 22 lives. Speaking during a short visit to Prague, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said he had been on the phone to "all the relevant players" in Pristina and Belgrade following the worst ethnic violence in the Serbian province since it was put under UN administration in 1999. The NATO chief also appealed to the media to show restraint in reporting. Mr De Hoop Scheffer visited Prague briefly on Thursday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Czech Republic's accession to NATO.

The Czech president Vaclav Klaus recently expressed his support for the Czech mission in Afghanistan, soon after polls suggested 75 percent of Czechs were opposed to sending elite soldiers there to help flush out al-Qaeda and the remnants of the Taliban. It is the first time Czech soldiers have gone into combat since World War II.

This Friday is the 5th anniversary of the expansion of NATO that brought former Warsaw Pact countries Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic into the organisation's fold. Just two weeks later NATO launched its first ever military offensive - against Yugoslavia, an event that deeply divided Czech public opinion. 9/11 was a further shock to the alliance and it has yet to fully define its new role in international security. This report on how the Czech Republic's place within the alliance has changed since 1999.

The Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla has spoken in favour of sending NATO troops to Iraq. In an interview with the DPA press agency before his visit to Germany on Tuesday, Mr. Spidla said a quick deployment of a large NATO contingent was desirable in order to stabilise Iraq, which is vital for Europe and the whole region. In his opinion, building a secure Iraq will take several years. Mr. Spidla is to visit Berlin this week to discuss mainly financial perspectives of enlarged EU. He stressed that Prague was willing to compromise regarding the EU constitution provided balance is maintained between small and large nations.

Czech born porn star Dolly Buster aims to become a deputy of the European Parliament, Czech mps have failed miserably in an attempt to live on the minimum monthly wage in the Czech Republic, and how long would a Czech with an average wage have to work in order to amass as much money as Bill Gates? Just a few million years...Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.

Czech troops have served in hot spots around the world before - taking part in missions from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, to Bosnia, and of course post-Saddam Iraq. In the past, such missions have involved peacekeeping, humanitarian aid, and monitoring and prevention against the use of weapons of mass destruction, operations that met with high degrees of success. Now, following a government decision to meet NATO and U.S. requests for help, Czech soldiers may embark on a new mission once again, this time in Afghanistan. Not only to keep the peace, but

The beginning of December saw the formal launching of NATO's new multi-national Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Defence Battalion in the town of Liberec. It is undeniably a moment of primary importance for the Czech Republic, assigned to lead the 500 member battalion which includes members from twelve other NATO countries including Canada, Great Britain, Turkey, Spain, and Italy. The core of the Czech team ranks some 160 NBC specialists, who have built a strong reputation in the field, in peace and wartime, in their ability to defend and