Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Feb 22

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NO ECONOMIC DATA DUE OUT

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[RTRS-LEN-CZ-ECI]

FORMER MINISTER DENIES CORRUPTION

PRAGUE - Former Czech defence minister Jaroslav Tvrdik said on Wednesday he had no knowledge of corruption in a 2002 deal to buy 24 Gripen fighter planes.

[RTRS-LEN-CZ-SE-CRIM] [nL21587677]

GOVT APPROVES MEASURE TO OPEN UP FARM LAND SALES

PRAGUE - The Czech goverment agreed on Wednesday to ease restrictions on farm land sales to foreign farmers, raising protests from Czech farmers who fear that richer entrepreneurs from western Europe would buy up cheap Czech land.

[RTRS-LEN-REA-CZ] [nL21106708]

MINISTRY SEES 2012 EURO ADOPTION

PRAGUE - The Czech Republic may join the euro in 2012, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday, two years after a previous target date dropped by the government due to deep fiscal deficits.

[RTRS-LEN-CZ-EUR] [nL2166658]

BOND AUCTION SUCCESSFUL

PRAGUE - The Czech Finance Ministry sold the entire 5.1 billion crown ($238.5 million) tranche re-opening the 4-year government bond earmarked for the first, competitive round of bidding at Wednesday's auction. In the second round of bidding, the finance ministry sold 158 million crowns worth of the paper.

[RTRS-LEN-CZ-GVD-ISU] [nL2137551]

OPPOSITION NARROWS RIGHTISTS LEAD

PRAGUE - The Czech opposition Social Democrats have narrowed the gap on the ruling right-wing Civic Democrats, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday.

[RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL] [nL21796141]

PRESIDENT MAY MEET U.S. VICE-PRESIDENT OVER MISSILES

PRAGUE - The daily Mlada Fronta Dnes reported on Thursday that President Vaclav Klaus may meet U.S. vice-President Dick Cheney in March to discuss hosting a radar site as part of a missile shield in central Europe.

- For news on the anti-missile shield base to be built in Poland and the Czech Republic, double click on [RTRS-LEN-DIP-CZ-PL-US]

- For most recent news on Czech politics, double click on the codes in brackets: [RTRS-LEN-CZ-POL]

Overview of past economic data and market forecasts For Instant Views of key economic data click on [CZ/INSTANT] For summary of economic data and forecasts For diary of forthcoming Czech events [CZ/DIARY] For calendar of east European economic indicators [CONV/DIARY] TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets [TOP/EMRG] TOP NEWS -- Convergence watch [TOP/EAST]

For an economic indicator diary for the euro zone, the United States and other Group of Seven countries see

For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX

News editor of the day: Alan Crosby on +420 224 190 477; fax: +420 224 229 935

E-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com

Reuters Messaging: alan.crosby.reuters.com@reuters.net

((Compiled by Jan Lopatka, editing by Alan Crosby; prague.newsroom@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: jan.lopatka.reuters.com@reuters.net; +420-224 190 474))

[PRAGUE/Reuters/Finance.cz]