Bill Clinton's Toughest Task Yet?
This story was filed by CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk at the United Nations.
The Obama administration has appealed for their release on humanitarian grounds and tried to keep their plight separate from the heightened tensions with North Korea over its nuclear program.
Nonetheless, the former President was met at the airport by several North Korean diplomats, including Kim Jong Il's top nuclear negotiator, Kim Kye Gwan, who, as vice Minister of Foreign Affairs had been to dinner with Kim Jong Il when he hosted President Clinton's Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in October, 2000.
Because of his history with North Korea, Clinton could be just the right man to seek the release of the journalists.
In the last month, the U.S. – North Korea relationship has deteriorated, and talks with Clinton could be, in their minds, equivalent to direct talks. The former President clearly has a unique connection to the Obama Administration.
Why would Secretary of State Hillary Clinton want her husband to attempt to secure the release of the two Americans?
In large part, it's because of the history of the Clinton Administration and North Korea. In 1994, after a visit by former President Jimmy Carter (as envoy), the U.S. and Pyongyang agreed to what became known as the 1994 Agreed Framework; the U.S. pledged to provide fuel oil and agreed to build two light-water reactors and North Korea would end its nuclear weapons program and stick with an inspections regime. Like all negotiations with North Korea, that agreement began with fanfare, but fell through in the end.
Then, in October, 2000, President Clinton's Secretary of State, Albright, became the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit the North. She met Kim Jong Il, a leader whom no American official had met at the time, spending almost 12 hours with him.
After the 1994 agreement fell apart, the six-party talks began in 2003. Those, too have met with the on-again, off-again fate.
After the latest round of nuclear tests, North Korea has made it clear that it wants direct talks with the U.S., an offer rebuffed by the Obama administration. But because former President Clinton's administration held direct talks with Kim Jong Il's government, he does have credibility with North Korea.
Kim Jong Il's health is deteriorating and North Korea is feeling the pinch of U.N. and U.S. sanctions. International efforts to release the two Americans have, thus far, failed: Last week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he had made two personal overtures to Kim Jong Il's government on behalf of the imprisoned journalists.
One week ago, North Korean U.N. CBS News that Pyongyang wants direct talks with the U.S., but Hillary Clinton's response was that the Obama administration wants negotiations to remain within the six-party talks framework, with the two Koreas, Japan, China, Russia, and the U.S.
Ambassador Sin said the North had been cheated in previous talks, referring, presumably, to the consortium of the U.S., South Korea, and Japan which was supposed to build the light-water plant and deliver the oil – even though construction began and some oil was delivered.
Thus far, negotiations with Kim Jong Il's regime have lead North Korea to ban International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, walk away from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and restart its nuclear testing — even during the days of direct engagement under the Clinton Administration.
So, Hill's tricky mandate for Bill: Return with the American journalists and reduce tension between the two countries, without compromising the Obama administration's commitment to the six-party talks. No small task.