* Government says PM exhausted, has heavy workload
* Meles expected to be back to work within days
* Lack of detail on condition, location fuels rumours
By Aaron Maasho
ADDIS ABABA, July 19 (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is taking a break to recover from an unspecified condition, the government said on Thursday, fuelling speculation over the health of the man who has dominated the impoverished nation for more than two decades.
Zenawi had been left exhausted by his workload, but was expected back in his office within days, said government spokesman Bereket Simon.
Rumours that Zenawi is seriously ill have been rife since the former guerrilla leader, in power since ousting Mengistu Haile Mariam's military junta in 1991, failed to attend an African Union summit in Addis Ababa over the weekend.
The lack of definite information on his condition or his exact whereabouts has also stirred debate about who might replace him in his poor and often violent corner of Africa, sandwiched between the unstable regional giants of Sudan and Somalia.
"I can only tell you that he gets treatment where appropriate medical treatment is provided," Bereket told journalists in Addis Ababa.
"It's not brain cancer ... But I will not delve into the details because that detail has to be left to him and his doctor alone."
Zenawi had been exhausted, said Bereket. "What caused the exhaustion is the overall workload. The workload he's been shouldering is enormous."
But the 57-year-old premier's condition was currently "very good and stable," he added.
"His doctors have advised him to take into account the heavy toll of work. They advised him to take certain leave of absence so that he makes rapid recuperation and recovery," he added.
"He's not staying out of duties as Prime Minister but he's taking rest. We expect him to be back in days."
Zenawi has won praise by some in the West for his country's economic growth, and for his army's support for the battle against al Qaeda-linked militants in neighbouring Somalia.
But he has also been accused of crushing dissent and using national security concerns as an excuse to silence opposition figures and journalists. Addis Ababa regularly dismisses the accusations.
Diplomats in the Ethiopian capital have said Meles is receiving treatment in Brussels for an undisclosed illness.
Other sources have said he was treated in Germany, while some opposition groups say he has a life-threatening ailment or has died. (Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by James Macharia and Andrew Heavens)
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