President Yeltsin's spokesman has said the Russian head of state is fit enough to return to work after being hospitalised following a bout of pneumonia.

But the Russian Prime Minister, Yevgeni Primakov, asked Mr Yeltsin to wait for full recovery before returning to the Kremlin.

Correspondents say Mr Primakov has taken over much of the day-to-day running of Russia during Mr Yeltsin's illness.

The president's doctors have said he should continue his convalescence in hospital.