Trip puts Clinton back in limelight

PYONGYANG, North Korea, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- It will be a while before the real impact of former U.S. President Bill Clinton's North Korea trip is known, but it has already kicked up expectations on the future of the two countries' relations, which currently are at their contentious worst.

Clinton's main mission was securing the release of two U.S. journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, held in the Communist country since March on charges that have never been clearly explained. That task was achieved admirably, not surprisingly though given the former president's negotiating skills.

The United States and North Korea do not have diplomatic relations, but Clinton received a warm welcome in Pyongyang after his arrival there in a private jet.

Other questions aside, the mission also put the Clintons back in the limelight. As The New York Times noted, the trip "catapulted Mr. Clinton back on to the global stage, on behalf of a president who defeated his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a bitter primary campaign last year, and who later asked her to be his Secretary of State."

The Times added: "The riveting tableau of a former president, jetting into a diplomatic crisis while his wife was embarking on a tour of Africa … underscored the unique and enduring role of the Clintons, even in the Obama era."

To be sure, North Korea -- irate over various U.S. responses to its recent adventures including the May 25 nuclear test, missile firings and war threats -- may have exacted a price to regain some international respect.

In announcing Clinton's visit and the journalists' release, the official North Korean news agency KCNA said Clinton "expressed words of sincere apology" to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il "for the hostile acts committed" by the journalists and that their release is "a manifestation of (North Korea's) humanitarian and peace-loving policy."

The report also said Clinton and Kim had candid and in-depth discussions "on the pending issues between (North Korea) and the U.S. in a sincere atmosphere and reached a consensus of views on seeking a negotiated settlement of them."

But the White House also made clear the Obama administration's stand on the Clinton trip, saying it was a "solely private" mission about which the administration would have no comment. The statement seemed to show the release of the journalists had nothing to do with the outstanding issues between the two countries.

CNN quoted a senior administration official that the families of the journalists asked Clinton to travel to the Communist country to win the release of the two women. It said Al Gore, Clinton's vice president, also made a similar request to his former boss because Gore's media outfit Current TV employs the two journalists.

Clinton's mission fulfilled a North Korea trip he had considered in 2000 as his presidency was winding down. His administration had had numerous negotiations with Pyongyang, unlike the administration of his successor George W. Bush.

Among the possibilities talked about as being likely in the wake of the Clinton trip is the resumption of the stalled six-nation negotiations on North Korea's denuclearization in exchange for massive aid for the economically down-and-out country.

Since the U.N. Security Council resolution on North Korea's nuclear test, the issue has become further complicated with North Korea's withdrawal both from these talks and the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

But a BBC analysis said: "However, even if there is some movement -- such as the North agreeing to rejoin the six-party talks on its nuclear activities -- the question will be how long that change will last until the next reversal." It noted that it was during Clinton's presidency that an agreement was reached to freeze Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.

China, North Korea's closest friend, has resisted international efforts to punish North Korea with punitive sanctions for its recent provocative acts. Instead, it has insisted on peaceful and diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.

The official Chinese news agency Xinhua gave extensive coverage to the Clinton visit including numerous color pictures including those of Clinton with Kim Jong Il, noting in many of its reports the two journalists were "amnestied" by North Korea.