Prague - The Czech Republic will help supply Slovakia with natural gas, said Czech PM Mirek Topolánek at a press conference on Friday.

"It was decided that the Czech Republic would provide Slovakia with four million cubic meters of natural gas," PM Topolánek told the news conference.

Four million cubic meters is about 15 percent of Slovakia's total consumption. With the help from the Czech neighbors, Slovakia would then receive about 8 - 10 million cubic meters of the gas from European countries to compensate for the supplies pumped in from Russia, said Slovakia's Industry Minister Lubomír Jahnátek.

RWE Transgas company continues to supply the Czech Republic, as confirmed by RWE  Transgas spokesman Martin Chaloupský for public service Czech TV.

"We get all supplies of natural gas for the Czech Republic via the northern passage. There is no need for concern, as we are able to supply the country with gas even today," said Chaloupský.

RWE Transgas pumps some 50 million cubic meters in the country via Germany.

Gazprom said the supplies could resume Friday as soon as the EU, Russian and Ukrainian monitors observed the passage.

Heading again for Ukraine

The first EU gas monitors arrived in Ukraine on Friday afternoon.   

PM Topolánek met president Viktor Yuschenko and Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko on Friday, then left for Moscow where he signed an accord on the EU monitoring mission with Russian PM Vladimír Putin. 

PM Topolánek left back for Ukraine to sign the deal with president Yuschenko. Without his signature the accord cannot come into force.

About 15 countries have been hit by the closure of Russian supplies amid plunging temperatures. Homes in Bosnia-Hercegovina and Serbia have been left without heating, as their stations are dependent on gas supplies. Hungary has been supplying Serbia with its own output of natural gas.

The EU countries receive 25 percent of their entire gas supplies, eighty percent of which flow through Ukraine.