The lower House of the parliament has speeded up the process of constitutional changes in the backdrop of fresh anxiety over the health of the 67-year-old Yeltsin, who cut short his Central Asian visit of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and returned to Moscow last night. Kremlin doctors said he was suffering from trachyo-bronchitis.

Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznyov told reporters that the House would also consider the two alternative drafts on the formation of a constitution assembly with the right to amend the 1993 constitution tailored for Yeltsin.

The left benches have mooted amendments for enhanced parliamentary control over the government in order to have greater say in appointing and dismissing the prime minister and key Cabinet members -- a step to free the council of ministers from the ``whims'' of the Kremlin.

Yeltsin twice inMarch and August this year sacked his prime ministers without giving any explanation to the parliament and the people.

Seleznyov, however, expressed doubt that the drafts bill would be adopted by the House, where they lack required absolute majority, and sent to conciliatory commission.

Ex-premier Viktor Chernomyrdin's NDR faction and Liberal Bloc ``Yabloko'' have opposed the Communists-sponsored amendments.

Hard-line Communist chief of the Duma state security committee, Viktor Ilyukhin today demanded Yeltsin's medical check-up. In a written statement released to the press in the Duma, Ilyukhin said that Yeltsin was not capable of performing his duties.

On Sunday, Yeltsin nearly fell down during a welcome ceremony in Tashkent. NTV commercial channel repeatedly showed the footage of tumbling Yeltsin and Uzbek President Karimov and presidential bodyguard rushing to help him stay on his feet.

Yeltsin, who is currently in bed in his Gorki-9 country residence near Moscow, is not expected to be back inoffice this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Yakushkin said. The president is suffering from bronchitis, he said.

Yeltsin is scheduled to visit Austria later this month. Yakushkin told the press to wait till next week before anything could be said about it.

Liberal daily Sevodnya today wrote that Yeltsin's Malaysia visit later this Autumn now hangs in balance.

Influential daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta today called for the official transfer of key presidential powers to Prime Minister Primakov, who is already seen as vice-president.

The Kremlin seems to be accepting this fact.

Commenting on the statement of defence ministry's international department chief General Leonid Ivashov on need for military aid to Yugoslavia in case of NATO airstrikes on Kosovo, Yakushkin stressed that foreign policy decisions are taken only by the President and the Prime Minister.

Even this is a major departure from the constitution under which Yeltsin alone takes the foreign policy decisions to be implemented bythe foreign ministry.