DESPITE doctors' advance to keep his workload down to a minimum, President Boris Yeltsin faced a raft of pressing and time consuming problems yesterday, not least the need to reimpose his authority after nearly six months away from the Kremlin.
Returning to his office, the Russian president said he was "ready for battle", stressing that tackling salary and pension arrears, and the problems of Russia's demoralised, bloated and under funded armed forces would be his priorities.
Doctors attributed the deterioration in Mr Yeltsin's heart condition in 1996 to the 65 year old Russian leader's refusal to reduce his workload after suffering two heart attacks in July and October 1995.
He finally agreed to undergo a multiple heart bypass operation on November 5th, having suffered a third heart attack just before his July 3rd re-election victory over the Communist challenger, Mr Gennady Zyuganov.
Doctors had told him the only alternative to the operation would be a sedentary life of semi retirement an option he categorically rejected. Much will depend on Mr Yeltsin's willingness to continue delegating authority to his entourage, notably his powerful chief of staff, Mr Anatoly Chubais, and the Prime Minister, Mr Viktor Chernomyrdin.
However, Mr Sergei Oznobishchev, director of the Moscow Centre for Strategic Studies, predicted that "there will be new personnel changes, since Mr Yeltsin will have to show that he is the boss, and capable of running the country."