Yeltsin Gives Russian Government Week's Grace

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Boris Yeltsin has decided to postpone a meeting at which his government had been due to account for its economic performance. Yeltsin had threatened a new reshuffle if the cabinet, already reeling from a series of sackings, did not deliver on his economic promises to the people. Reading from a statement, a Kremlin spokesman said the meeting, planned for Monday, had been put off for a week due to a parliamentary debate on next year's budget and foreign visits. The government had worked overtime ahead of Monday's meeting. One leading minister said he hoped it would help remove the air of uncertainty hanging over the cabinet after the personnel changes. Yeltsin stripped leading reformer Anatoly Chubais of his post as Finance Mininister on November 20 after removing three of his allies in a scandal over large fees received for a book on privatisation which has yet to be published. Chubais kept his more influen- tial post of First Deputy Prime Minister but Yeltsin warned on Friday there could be a further shakeup if officials did not shape up. "It's bad when people in the government are frequently changing but it's even worse when bad ministers keep their jobs. And not only ministers," he said in a nationwide radio address. The State Duma lower house of parliament is due to start debating the latest version of the budget, the result of months of bargaining between legislators and the government, on Friday. The statement said Yeltsin's state visit to Sweden, due to start on Tuesday, and a trip by Chernomyrdin to neighbouring Belarus were also behind the delay.