Putin has guaranteed monitors can work -Czech PM

PRAGUE, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has pledged to allow an EU monitoring mission to work where it needs to verify gas flows from Russia to Europe, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on Friday.

"Prime Minister Putin unambiguously assured me yesterday that he guarantees, even without any contract, the possibility of this independent European mission to work everywhere in Russia where it needs to,"said Topolanek, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency. Topolanek was due to fly to Kiev later on Friday to discuss an agreement on the monitoring, which should allow resumption of gas flows through Ukraine. (Reporting by Jan Lopatka; editing by Andrew Dobbie)