However, Mr Yeltsin will remain in charge of the nuclear button.Last night Mr Chernomyrdin was at pains to stress that Mr Yeltsin stays in charge, and sought to stifle any suggestion that he is intends to assume overall control: "Trust is a mutual thing which has two sides as a minimum. The move represents a significant, if temporary, shift of power in Russia as the country's mightiest government institutions are now answerable to the prime minister, and are likely to remain so for some time. The president's spokesman, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, said yesterday that the heads of the power ministries were under instructions to co-ordinate "all questions that require a decision by the head of state" with Mr Chernomyrdin, although Mr Yeltsin would be kept informed of developments.The order covers the departments of defence, foreign affairs, security, government communications, and intelligence, which usually report directly to Mr Yeltsin and which are widely seen as the roots of power in Russia, after the presidency itself. Moscow - Boris Yeltsin has ordered his most powerful ministers - including his defence, security and intelligence chiefs - to report to his prime minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin, while he remains out of sight, preparing for heart bypass surgery. His force comprises three multinational divisions - one US-led, one UK and one French.Nato wants to base the successor force on Landcent - the land component of Nato's central European region (Afcent) Afcent's commander is a German, General Dieter Stockman. US troops, who would be needed to make any successor force credible, would not be placed under German command.However, the US commander of Landcent, General William Crouch, is a prime candidate.Mr Ruhe said that if Landcent forms the nucleus of the post I-For command, a German might be appointed to to a senior position - possibly the chief of staff.I-For's three divisional headquarters, with up to 20,000 troops each, will be replaced by brigades of about 7,000 troops.. However, the British Army is planning to keep a strong force in Bosnia until April.The present head of I-For is the US Admiral Joe Lopez, commander of Nato's southern region in Europe (Afsouth).

In an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Mr Ruhe suggested Germany should play an increased role in the successor force, which might have a German chief of staff. But Nato sources ruled out any suggestion that the force would have a German commander, which would be unacceptable to the US and the Serb population of Bosnia. Nato member states are keeping quiet about the question of a successor force and the US has refused to comment until after the presidential elections on 5 November. An international peacekeeping force should remain in Bosnia until October next year, the German defence minister, Volker Ruhe, said yesterday, as Nato refines its plans for a body to succeed I-For, the 50,000-strong peace implementation force. Only 10.5 per cent favoured the League's separatist stance: not a huge amount of backing for a party which is out to change the face of Europe.. Mr Maroni said: "The centre has already lost touch with the edges.