Former President Bill Clinton in North Korea to try to free U.S. journalists

[MASTERBAKER]

WASHINGTON - Former President Bill Clinton landed in North Korea early Tuesday on a surprise diplomatic star turn to win the freedom of two female U.S. journalists jailed at hard labor by the regime of ailing dictator Kim Jong Il.

North and South Korean news outlets reported Clinton arrived in the capital of Pyongyang by charter jet after receiving word through back channels that Laura Ling and Euna Lee might be released to the former President after nearly five months in captivity. "A little girl presented a bouquet to Bill Clinton," North Korea's official state news agency said.

The North's chief nuclear negotiator, Kim Kye Gwan, was among the official greeters on the tarmac, the official agency said, possibly signaling that the Communist nation was also seeking a breakthrough on the standoff with the U.S. over nuclear disarmament.

The State Department had no comment on Clinton's trip. Secretary of State Clinton was en route to Kenya on a 10-day Africa tour that will now be overshadowed, but Bill Clinton's rescue effort had her blessing as well as that of the White House.

"Since they started talking about this, he [Bill Clinton] was the only person who was going to go," a well-placed U.S. source said. "This is made for him; he probably knows as much as anybody about the North Koreans."

Ling and Lee, both journalists for former Vice President Al Gore's Current TV cable channel, were arrested along China's border with North Korea in March.

They were sentenced in June to 12 years of hard labor for "illegal activity," and U.S. efforts to seek their release have thus far been fruitless.

The mission marked a return to center stage for the former President, who has undertaken low-key humanitarian work since his wife took over as the nation's chief diplomat.

kbazinet@nydailynews.com

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dejavu Aug 4, 2009 8:05:38 AM Report Offensive Post
I respect President Clinton. I think President Carter would went and could have if Pres. Clinton didn't go. I wish Pres. Clinton and Pres. Obama could be Presidents forever.

Jolie54 Aug 4, 2009 8:05:44 AM Report Offensive Post
LMAO @ former Greenpointer. That is funneeeeeee!!!!

thepitbull64 Aug 4, 2009 8:06:15 AM Report Offensive Post
Yeah you're right. Absolutely no Republicans travel over seas. None of them It is only the democrats who travel.

NYC Historian Aug 4, 2009 8:08:53 AM Report Offensive Post
ANTONIN: OUR service men and women are not nutcases you pathetic POS.

Anacondaman Aug 4, 2009 8:10:54 AM Report Offensive Post
The hatred some have is incredible! What's more important, those wrongly imprisoned journalists or that Slick Willy might get a bit of positive publicity, or that Obama's decision to send Slick Willy may work? What the eff is it w/you Repukes? You want Obama to fail so badly that you forget that millions of AMERICANS are losing their jobs & homes, our economy is STILL feeling the effects of the idiot rodeo clown & you can't find ways to blame that on Obama, too. Who are the un-Americans here, those trying to restore America's greatness or those sabotaging every effort to restore our economy, bring jobs back to America, make health insurance affordable for the American public, improve our education?

carlyt Aug 4, 2009 8:11:02 AM Report Offensive Post
Hope he succeeds but there is the bigger issue of Americans crossing borders. There is a related post at http://iamsoannoyed.com/?page_id=588

qcmami4 Aug 4, 2009 8:17:28 AM Report Offensive Post
go Bill!!

Survivor1979 Aug 4, 2009 8:28:06 AM Report Offensive Post
If these two are freed because Clinton went there, then it's because some money was exchanged and no other reason. That POS country isn't going to fork over 2 Americans just because Mr. Charisma went over there to visit. I do hope those 2 ladies are freed but once they are, I have a funny feeling they are going to run right back there to finish their "journalistic" work and if they do, let them get the punishment they deserve. They should never, ever have been there in the first place. You don't go where you're not welcome!!

SayWhat Aug 4, 2009 8:31:56 AM Report Offensive Post
Don't mess with Bill.

gjdavis Aug 4, 2009 8:32:51 AM Report Offensive Post
Another theatrical Obama ploy to get the focus off of his horrible record! I wonder how much this is costing us all and what other possibly disastrous concessions are being made behind the scenes. Very scary for all Americans!

 

[QueEx]

Damn. Ole Bill has just moved in on Jesse's "Hostage Rescue" hustle.

 

[MASTERBAKER]

Damn. Ole Bill has just moved in on Jesse's "Hostage Rescue" hustle.

 

[ThaShow]

RESPECT!

 

[QueEx]

LOL

I thought I heard Jesse the other day, before Bill left:

Listen heah Bill,
I wanted to talk to Mr. Ill.
The situation is real,
I could strike a betta deal.

ITS TIME.
For the hostages to come home,
Where the buffalo roam.
Their families in America are tied
them journalist done lied.
But its time to come home,
to the land of the skyscraper and the metrodome.

ITS TIME.
Barack wont let me go,
he still thinking, ya know,
about you know whut,
when I said, cut off his nuts.
but I'm still tough as liver,
I can still cross the river,
make foreign leaders quiver,
make terrorists shiver,
I can still deliver !!!
I can still deliver !!!
I can still deliver !!! (insert loud cheering here)


I just need a small sum, ($$$)
to make the motors hum,
cause, the hostages time has come,
their time has come,
their time has come !!!

 

[thoughtone]

 

[MASTERBAKER]

LOL

I thought I heard Jesse the other day, before Bill left:

Listen heah Bill,
I wanted to talk to Mr. Ill.
The situation is real,
I could strike a betta deal.

ITS TIME.
For the hostages to come home,
Where the buffalo roam.
Their families in America are tied
them journalist done lied.
But its time to come home,
to the land of the skyscraper and the metrodome.

ITS TIME.
Barack wont let me go,
he still thinking, ya know,
about you know whut,
when I said, cut off his nuts.
but I'm still tough as liver,
I can still cross the river,
make foreign leaders quiver,
make terrorists shiver,
I can still deliver !!!
I can still deliver !!!
I can still deliver !!! (insert loud cheering here)


I just need a small sum, ($$$)
to make the motors hum,
cause, the hostages time has come,
their time has come,
their time has come !!!

GOOD ONE!roflmao:

 

[cthomas0964]

Looks good but the agreement to release them was already in play. Clinton just had to sit down for a photo opp and then fly back with them. I will give more credit to Hillary and Obama. I also feel that they shouldn't have been over there to begin with.

 

[QueEx]

<font size="4"><Center>

Carter gains freedom for African American held in N. Korea
Former president escorting released prisoner to Boston</font size></center>

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, and
Aijalon Gomes, right, prepare to leave North Korea
from Pyongyang on Friday. They are expected in
Boston about 2 p.m. ET. Carter negotiated the
release of Gomes during a private mission that
began Wednesday.


MSNBC
August 27, 2010


SEOUL, South Korea — Looking gaunt but relieved, an American freed after nearly seven months jailed in North Korea left Pyongyang on Friday in the company of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Aijalon Gomes, 31, hugged Carter just before they boarded a plane at Pyongyang's airport, footage aired by broadcaster APTN in North Korea showed.

Carter had flown to the North Korean capital three days earlier on a rare private mission to negotiate Gomes' release.

"We welcome the release of Aijalon Mahli Gomes and are relieved that he will soon be safely reunited with his family," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in a statement.

Crowley expressed the U.S. government's appreciation for Carter's "humanitarian effort" and welcomed North Korea's "decision to grant Mr. Gomes special amnesty and allow him to return to the United States."

The former president had "courteously requested" a special pardon for Gomes, which leader Kim Jong Il granted, North Korean state media said. Gomes had been sentenced in April to eight years of hard labor and a hefty fine for trespassing and committing a "hostile act."

They were due to arrive in Boston on Friday to be reunited with Gomes' mother and other family members, Carter spokeswoman Deanna Congileo said in Atlanta.


North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency said Carter's visit included cordial talks with North Korea's No. 2 official, Kim Yong Nam.

Kim relayed Pyongyang's interest in resuming the six-nation disarmament talks and reiterated the regime's commitment to denuclearization, KCNA said. The talks have been stalled since North Korea walked away from the table last year.

'Unofficial mission'
However, there was no indication that Carter met with Kim Jong Il, who was making a surprise trip to China during the rare visit by an American dignitary to the North Korean capital. A year ago, Kim sat down for talks and a well-publicized photo with former U.S. President Bill Clinton when he went to Pyongyang on a similar journey to negotiate the release of two American journalists.

Story: After Carter arrives in N. Korea, Kim Jong Il heads to China
Crowley stressed that Carter's trip was "a private, humanitarian, and unofficial mission solely for the purpose of bringing Mr. Gomes home and reuniting him with his family," adding that the former President traveled "at the invitation of" North Korea's government.

"The U.S. government did not propose or arrange the trip," Crowley said. "Based on our assessment that Mr. Gomes' health was at serious risk if he did not receive immediate care in the United States, the U.S. Government concurred with former President Carter's decision to accept the North Korean proposal."

The U.S. and North Korea fought on opposite sides of the 1950-53 Korean War and do not have diplomatic relations, but Carter is well-regarded in North Korea after making a groundbreaking trip to Pyongyang in 1994 to meet with Kim's father, late President Kim Il Sung. Those friendly talks led to a landmark nuclear disarmament pact.

Crowley thanked the Swedish government for its efforts on behalf of the United States; its government represents the interests of several Western countries in Pyongyang.

Travel not 'risk free'
Aijalon Gomes was the fourth American arrested in North Korea for illegal entry in a year when he was seized in January, accused of crossing into North Korea from China.

Besides journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, also sentenced to hard labor and released last August on a special pardon, activist Robert Park deliberately crossed into the country last Christmas and was expelled by North Korean authorities about 40 days later.

Crowley said Gomes's case illustrates that travel to North Korea "is not routine or risk-free" for U.S. citizens.

The State Department issued a new travel warning Friday to reiterate the potential dangers of traveling to the country without proper authorization.

Gomes' motive was not clear but he was said to be a close friend of Park and was photographed in Seoul rallying for Park's release just two weeks before his own arrest in North Korea.

In April, North Korean authorities sentenced Gomes to eight years of hard labor and fined 70 million won — more than $600,000 — for trespassing and committing a "hostile act." Gomes "admitted all the facts," state-run media said.

Last month, North Korean media reported that Gomes tried to kill himself, "driven by his strong guilty conscience, disappointment and despair at the U.S. government that has not taken any measure for his freedom," and was hospitalized.

Securing Gomes's release
A U.S. delegation, including a consular official, two doctors and a translator, made a secret visit to Pyongyang earlier this month to try to secure Gomes' release. The group visited Gomes at the hospital but were unable to negotiate his release then, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said last week.

Tall and muscular when he appeared at anti-North Korean rallies in Seoul in January, Gomes looked markedly thinner Friday. He was dressed in a white striped polo shirt and dark slacks, APTN footage showed.

"The measure taken ... to set free the illegal entrant is a manifestation of (North Korea's) humanitarianism and peace-loving policy," KCNA said.

The Carter Center echoed U.S. officials in emphasizing that the ex-president's trip was a private humanitarian mission.

However, such visits have in the past provided an opportunity for unofficial diplomacy.

KCNA said the Americans held "an open-hearted discussion" with North Korea's foreign minister and vice foreign minister for U.S. affairs on their countries' relations as well as nuclear disarmament.

Gomes' background
Gomes grew up in an apartment in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood, long a haven for immigrants and now heavily populated by African-Americans and people from Caribbean nations. In high school, he worked after school at Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. as part of a jobs programs that aimed to steer students toward college.

Karen Hinds, who coordinated the program, kept in touch with Gomes, and called him as "a very personable, very likable, very intelligent young man, and very dedicated. ... And as he got older, he was extremely dedicated to his faith."

Gomes graduated high school in 1997 and, with some encouragement from Hinds, headed to Bowdoin College, a small school in Maine that she attended.

Nate Vinton, a sportswriter in New York City, took classes with Gomes, including creative writing, and remembered him as polite, earnest and with a touch of shyness that quickly vanished during conversation. Vinton also saw hints of Gomes' religious conviction.

"He talked admiringly of the Bible as a piece of literature in a class that we took together, which was unusual at that school in that place and time," Vinton said. "That stood out, for sure."

'Really sweet and positive guy'
Gomes was an enthusiastic and good-humored member of Bowdoin's student-run theater group and worked with Woodbury, now a college professor in California, on major roles in "Pippin" and bit parts in "Cabaret."

Bowdoin graduate Zach Tabacco said he would occasionally hang out with Gomes, whom he met through friends.

"He was a really sweet and positive guy," Tabacco said. "He wasn't wild by any means, but he definitely had a stronger personality. ... I can believe that if he thought something was right, he's going to do what he can to defend that and to support that."

Gomes moved to South Korea to teach English in the past year or so, Hinds said. Friend and colleague Marshalette Wise said Gomes was unfailingly professional, even outside work, where she saw him wear only slacks, dress shirts and bow ties. She said he was always friendly, helping new teachers become acclimated and assisting her in a move to a new job 90 minutes away.

As word of his possible release spread this week, members of a Facebook group called "Save Aijalon Gomes!" expressed relief and optimism that his ordeal would soon end.

"He is an excellent human being and a joy to know," group member Karen Hinds said in a post Tuesday. "God has kept him."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38874977/ns/world_news-asiapacific

 

[QueEx]

<font size="3">

Damn. Y'all disrespeting Jesse. Lettin Jimmy Carter make the big rescue.

I can hear him now:</font size>

Listen heah Jimmy
You actin like Bill;
You know I wanted
to talk to Mr. Ill;
This sit-chu-way-shun is real;
I coulda struck, a betta deal.

ITS TIME.
For the hostage to come home,
Where the buffalo roam.
His family here in America is tied
my brotha over there done lied.
But its time to come home,
to the land of the skyscraper and the metrodome.

ITS TIME.
Barack wouldn't let me go,
he still thinking, ya know,
about you know whut,
when I said, I cut off his nuts.
but I'm still tough as liver,
I can still cross the river,
make foreign leaders quiver,
make terrorists shiver,
I can still deliver !!!
I can still deliver !!!
I can still deliver !!! (insert loud cheering here)


I just need a small sum, ($$$)
to make the motors hum,
cause, the hostages time has come,
their time has come,
their time has come !!!

Yall coulda let me go git the brotha,
bring him home to his mother.
Let me shine one mo time,
Let me make, jess one mo rhyme.

My time has come.
And I need that lil Sum ($$$)