Senate nods to EU-Iraq partnership, altered Czech-Polish border

Prague, Jan 31 (CTK) - The Czech Senate, the upper house of parliament, today approved the agreement on partnership between the EU and Iraq including the vow of cooperation in combatting and prevention of terrorism.

The Senate also passed a bill changing the Czech-Polish border line in accordance with changing beds of border water streams.

Both documents have been parallelly discussed by the Chamber of Deputies.

The EU-Iraq partnership agreement has been submitted by the government as a document corresponding to Czech foreign political interests.

The EU member states and Baghdad signed it in Brussels last May. The Czech government presents it as the main motor enhancing the EU's support of Iraq.

In the agreement, the two parties pledge to combat terrorism and prevent it. They want to cooperate by exchanging information on terrorist groups and their networks.

Apart from the political dialogue, trade and investments, the agreement also focuses on possible cooperation in the energy industry, transport, education and human rights protection.

The EU and Iraq have granted the most favoured nation treatment to each other.

Within the changes to the Czech-Polish border, ensuing from changing river beds and also approved by the Senate today, the Czech Republic and Poland lose 66,620 and 71,705 square metres of their respective territories.

The 5,000-metre difference to Poland's detriment will not be compensated as the valid agreement on Czech-Polish borders says the border is adjusted to copy natural changes in the border streams' beds.