North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-Il, travelling by train for an historic summit in Moscow, arrived in the Siberian city of Omsk Tuesday and was quickly whisked away to a guest house.
Dressed in a beige outfit, the portly 59-year-old Stalinist dictator stepped off the train, escorted by a phalanx of North Korean security officials as rifle-toting Russian guards cleared a path infront.
A group of North Korean journalists were allowed onto the platform, where President Vladimir Putin's regional envoy Leonid Drachevsky and other top officials greeted him briefly.
A small group of local reporters accredited for his 24-hour visit were kept well back.
The secretive leader embarked on his surprise voyage to Russia -- the first country he has visited officially after China -- last Thursday, choosing to travel by train reportedly because of a fear of flying -- OMSK, Russia (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)