MOSCOW (Reuter) - Russia`s Communist-led lower house of parliament began debating a no-confidence vote in the government on Wednesday over its economic reform programme. The government confirmed before the debate that Prime Minister Chernomyrdin was ready to quit if the government lost and warned the State Duma (lower house) it would be placing itself firmly on the road to dissolution if it passed the vote. But the opposition-dominated Duma pressed ahead with the debate, proposed by the Communists, with Chernomyrdin in attendance. At the start of the debate, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov blasted the government`s economic reforms and urged parliament to back the motion. The outcome of the vote hung in the balance. The Communists and their allies said they were confident of getting the 226 votes needed for the motion to pass. But the liberal opposition Yabloko bloc added to the uncertainty by objecting to the wording of the no-confidence motion. First Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Chubais, who is also finance minister and a mastermind of the government`s economic reforms, said the economy would suffer if parliament brought down the government. The Federation Council (upper house) offered the government some hope that the Duma could be appeased. It approved a Duma proposal to hold "round table" talks involving all leading political forces to discuss Russia`s main problems. The Communists have a reasonable relationship with Chernomyrdin but say the radical reformers, led by Chubais and Boris Nemtsov, are pushing Russia towards chaos.