Last week, he had agreed in a meeting with the speakers of both houses of Russian parliament to listen the views of the Opposition on his choice of the new prime minister.

In his opening remarks, Yeltsin reminded the participants of the round table meeting that they had ``very responsible tasks'' before them.

``In fact, we have been left without government for two weeks and the third week has already started,'' he said. ``That means, the days of lost opportunities, the days of lost direction of our affairs, the days of lost contacts with our regions. It's very serious,'' he underscored.

Yeltsin again ruled out a coalition or national trust government, which the Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov has demanded in the past weeks.

He also revealed thatbefore making his choice for Kiriyenko, he considered several candidates for prime minister, including the powerful Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov.

However, Yeltsin appeared to be conciliatory with the Opposition leaders, calling for 1998 to be a non-confrontational year.

Yeltsin's press secretary Sergei Yastrzhembsky said after the meeting that no leaders openly opposed Kiriyenko's candidacy at the round table. He also expressed optimism, Kiriyenko will pass on the first vote in the State duma, the lower house of parliament.

Meanwhile, Duma leadership has decided to vote on Kiriyenko's confirmation on Friday. He has spent the last several days lobbying Duma factions and has already won over the support of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

The Communist Party and liberal Yabloko factions in the Duma, have strongly opposed Kiriyenko's candidacy. Expressing his reaction after the round table, Zyuganov said, Kiriyenko will not pass the first voting Friday. If hisnomination is rejected by Duma, Yeltsin is entitled under the Russian constitution to make two more attempts to get Duma's approval. If Duma blocks his nomination three times in row, the President can dissolve the Parliament and call for early elections.

Most political observers say, opposition-dominated Duma will ultimately approve Kiriyenko for prime minister, as deputies are not prepared for new elections. Yeltsin has repeatedly warned Duma, after the dismissal of the Chernomyrdin government, that if Parliament doesn't approve his protege Kiriyenko, he will dissolve it.