Slovak PM Fico agrees programme with potential coalition partners

BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Tuesday his leftist Smer party and three others had signed an agreement on a programme as part of talks on forming a new government. The deal is another step towards forging a cabinet of both left and right-wing parties after an inconclusive March 5 election in which Fico's party won the most votes but lost its parliamentary majority. Slovakia will hold the European Union's rotating presidency in the second half of 2016, giving it a stronger voice in setting the EU agenda on the migration crisis and the aftermath of a June 23 British referendum on whether to stay in the bloc. The programme priorities include a slight relaxation of budget consolidation and moves to make spending public money more transparent - a major concern for Slovak voters. "(The programme) takes into account priorities regarding the fight against corruption, strengthening of business environment and maintaining elements of the welfare state that Smer insisted on," Fico told reporters alongside leaders of the other parties. He has been holding talks with the opposition centrist Siet (Net) and Most-Hid (Bridge) parties along with the right-wing conservative Slovak National Party since Monday. (Reporting by Tatian Jancarikova; Writing by Jason Hovet; Editing by Mark Heinrich)