video transcript

(ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION) Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il for talks on Wednesday with Pyongyang's nuclear programme and economic cooperation on the agenda, according to the Kremlin. A relaxed Kim told his Russian counterpart he had enjoyed the train journey of over three days from North Korea to Russia's Buryatia region which borders the east coast of Lake Baikal. The eccentric Kim, 69, travels by train because of his fear of flying. His visit comes weeks after a series of meetings between North Korea, South Korea, the United States and China that has raised hopes of a resumption of long-stalled talks on disabling the North's nuclear weapons programme.