By Ruth Sullivan

All eyes at Davos are likely to be on Mikhail Kasyanov, Russia's first deputy prime minister and finance minister who is tipped as a possible future prime minister. Put in charge of the whole economy by acting president Vladimir Putin in early January, he has an uphill task of tackling the country's failing finances.

His short-term brief is to act as the cabinet's technical co-ordinator in the run up to the presidential elections in March, while his areas of responsibility span finance, state property, social development and industrial policy. His lengthy list of duties also includes interaction with the Central Bank of Russia and tax agencies.

The 42-year-old minister predicts that it is going to take five to seven years before the rouble is going to reverse its decline and begin to appreciate against the dollar and other Western currencies. But Mr Kasyanov is bullish on what he describes as the imminent restructuring of the economy.

The technocrat has been groomed in the country's top schools, speaks English and is market-minded enough to be respected by foreign investors. He has developed skills as a foreign negotiator, in particular with the London Club of private creditors during his five-year role as deputy finance minister and later as finance minister. Not surprisingly, he is a seasoned hand in debt restructuring. Mr Putin hopes that the appointment may help ease negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, which has suspended lending to Russia until further structural reforms are in place.

When asked about his personal affiliations, Mr Kasyanov said that he is nobody's man and, unlike the usual pattern, does not belong to any clan in Russian society. He likes to emphasise that he owes no favours for reaching his present position and was simply appointed by Mr Putin to tackle the country's economic difficulties.

Some Russia watchers say that he is a narrow bureaucrat, is close to several oligarchs and, since he was appointed by Mr Putin, will certainly remain under his control.

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