The 13 white plastic telephones on the receptionist's desk - none with dials - show this is the office of a very powerful man. An old Soviet status symbol, the array of phones is equivalent to the bars on a general's shoulder. Most important men have maybe half a dozen.
Mikhail Kasyanov has enjoyed a meteoric rise since he was plucked from obscurity in the state planning department eight years ago. The dark-wood-panelled office in a wing of the White House overlooking the Moskva river belongs to the Finance minister, a job Kasyanov was given in May 1999. Kasyanov is many analysts' top tip for the post of prime minister in Vladimir Putin's new government.
An acknowledged expert on external debt and with a reputation for tough negotiating, following his appointment, some in Moscow wonder if the ebullient and charming minister's experience is too narrow to take...
