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Putin arrives on four-day state visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday night arrived to a rousing red carpet welcome, on a four-day state visit.

Putin's presidential IL-96 aircraft landed at the technical area at 19:54 hours IST. He was accompanied by his wife Ludmilla, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, Defence Minister Igor Sergyev, Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klevanov and chairman of the Russian security council Igor Sergei.

Accompanying Putin are Russian ministers of communication and justice and the governors of Astrkhan and Voranezh.

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and Minister for Public Administration Arun Shourie received the president and his wife as they alighted from the aircraft.

When Shourie drew Putin's attention to journalists at the airport, he only smiled and waved at them.

Singh and Shourie joined Putin in a limousine, which drove off to Maurya Sheraton, where the president is staying.

Tight security arrangements have been mounted across the capital for Putin.

At the airport, journalists were asked to park cars at least 500 metres from the technical area. The media team was taken into the airport by bus.

Maurya Sheraton has sealed off its annexe. Senior officials of the Delhi police are supervising security in and around the hotel. The annexe, which houses all three presidential suites - Ashok, Chandragupta and Empress -will be out of bounds for the public during Putin's stay, according to Delhi police officials.

Security officials are yet not ready to say in which suite the president will stay, though hotel officials said he would check into Chandragupta, which was used by American President Bill Clinton in March.

During Clinton's stay at Sheraton, the hotel was blocked off, and no cars were allowed in the underground parking lot. This time, the main hotel building is open, and cars are being allowed to be parked.

Delhi police officials said routes to be taken by Putin will be blocked, and alternative routes have been planned for accessing each venue.

Hyderbad House, where Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Putin will meet on Tuesday morning, has been blocked, and a final round of security combing is on in the compound.

For the luncheon to be hosted by Vajpayee and dinner by President K R Narayanan for Putin and his entourage, a restricted number of passes are being issued, according to security officials.

"We are treating his visit on par with Clinton's, not leaving anything to chance," a senior Delhi police official said.

Sources said the Bharatiya Janata Party national executive has asked all parliamentarians and former parliamentarian who are in Delhi to attend Putin's address to a joint session of Parliament. According to the office of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan, there will be a "full House" attendance.

As part of special steps being taken during the visit, a special branch of the Delhi police is keeping a close watch on Afghan refugees, sources said.

The Putin visit: The full coverage

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