Bill Clinton in Pyongyang: A Trip without a Future?
Published in L'express
(France) on 5 August 2009
by Marc Epstein (link to original)
After negotiations, which we assume were long, the former president of the United States left North Korea with the two American journalists detained by Pyongyang … but what will come out of all this?
And there you have it! In less than 24 hours, Bill Clinton, dispatched to Pyongyang to secure the release of two American journalists detained since March 17, won their clemency. The former president of the United States was able to bring back our two colleagues on his plane. Both were sentenced to 12 years of forced labor for illegally crossing into North Korean territory from China.
This unforgettable stay was the subject of controversial comments from Pyongyang and Washington. According to the North Korean official press, Bill Clinton was the bearer of a message from Barack Obama, which the White House denies. The official agency KCNA reported that the husband of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apologized to Kim Jong-Il for the behavior of the journalists. Obama’s administration also denies this. In fact, according to Washington, North Korea had already agreed to release the young women before the visit.
There is no doubt that the freedom of Laura Ling and Euna Lee has been the subject of lengthy negotiations between the two countries. The visit of the former American president was marked in particular by a dinner in the company of Kim Jong-Il, and it comes at a time when relations between the two countries are particularly fresh. Beyond the good news of the release of the two journalists, the event will not change the balance of power that Pyongyang and Washington are engaged in. Nobody within the U.S. administration has forgotten the nuclear test and missile firings conducted in May by North Korea.
What will come out of all of this? First, a media spotlight for North Korea, for whom it is key to always be respected (even though the tactics used are not respectable). And then the realization of an old dream for Bill Clinton. The latter has never made it a secret that he wanted to visit North Korea before the end of his second term. At that time, the trip was discouraged due to political reasons.
And there you have it! In less than 24 hours, Bill Clinton, dispatched to Pyongyang to secure the release of two American journalists detained since March 17, won their clemency. The former president of the United States was able to bring back our two colleagues on his plane. Both were sentenced to 12 years of forced labor for illegally crossing into North Korean territory from China.
This unforgettable stay was the subject of controversial comments from Pyongyang and Washington. According to the North Korean official press, Bill Clinton was the bearer of a message from Barack Obama, which the White House denies. The official agency KCNA reported that the husband of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apologized to Kim Jong-Il for the behavior of the journalists. Obama’s administration also denies this. In fact, according to Washington, North Korea had already agreed to release the young women before the visit.
There is no doubt that the freedom of Laura Ling and Euna Lee has been the subject of lengthy negotiations between the two countries. The visit of the former American president was marked in particular by a dinner in the company of Kim Jong-Il, and it comes at a time when relations between the two countries are particularly fresh. Beyond the good news of the release of the two journalists, the event will not change the balance of power that Pyongyang and Washington are engaged in. Nobody within the U.S. administration has forgotten the nuclear test and missile firings conducted in May by North Korea.
What will come out of all of this? First, a media spotlight for North Korea, for whom it is key to always be respected (even though the tactics used are not respectable). And then the realization of an old dream for Bill Clinton. The latter has never made it a secret that he wanted to visit North Korea before the end of his second term. At that time, the trip was discouraged due to political reasons.
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