Clinton returns with freed journalists

Bill Clinton has done it. He boarded a plane back to the States from North Korea's capital Pyongyang this morning, in the company of the two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, freed from prison camp after his meeting with the 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong-il.

Quite how the trip was organised and what it means to the future of relations between the US and North Korea is now the subject of considerable speculation.

Keen to avoid the North Korean propaganda machine milking the former president's visit, the White House line was that Clinton's trip was a private matter, and that he was concerned solely with securing the two women's freedom.

However, it is now clear that the apparently impromptu visit came after weeks of "back-channel" talks between the US and the authorities in Pyongyang, conducted via the UN mission. Both former VP Al Gore and Gov Bill Richardson of New Mexico were mooted as potential candidates to butter up Kim Jong-il. In the end, it seems Clinton was the man most likely to succeed.

According to a senior Obama administration figure speaking off the record to the New York Times, "due diligence" was conducted to ensure that if Clinton went to Pyongyang, he would definitely return with the two journalists.

One thing both the White House and Clinton were clear about was that there would be no apology from the United States over the incident in which the two TV journalists were arrested on the border with China and accused of "grave crimes" against the communist state.

However, that was not the interpretation coming out of Pyongyang last night. A report by the North Korean state news agency KCNA stated: "Clinton expressed words of sincere apology to Kim Jong-il for the hostile acts committed by the two American journalists against the DPRK after illegally intruding into it. Clinton courteously conveyed to Kim Jong-il an earnest request of the US government to leniently pardon them and send them back home from a humanitarian point of view."

Now that the two women are free, what matters to Barack Obama is whether the 'six-party talks' - ­ the forum in which the US, North Korea, South Korea, Russia, China and Japan discuss Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme - ­can resume.

After North Korea's test­-firing of a nuclear device in May, and the subsequent launch of ballistic missiles, it was difficult for either Washington or Pyongyang to find a face-saving way back to the negotiating table. Security analysts believe the Clinton visit will have broken the deadlock. In South Korea, the media are saying is is just "a matter of time" before talks resume.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:Jacob Heilbrunn, the Huffington Post: "When Barack Obama signed up Hillary for Secretary of State, he knew that he was getting a twofer. Now that Bill has successfully completed his North Korea mission, he is sure to play an increasingly prominent role in foreign affairs. The trick for Hillary will be to use him to solidify rather than undermine her position as Secretary of State."

Mark Landler and Peter Baker, the New York Times: "The riveting tableau of a former president, jetting into a diplomatic crisis while his wife was embarking on a tour of Africa in her role as the nation's chief diplomat, underscored the unique and enduring role of the Clintons, even in the Obama era."

Rupert Cornwell, the Independent: "Unfiltered talks with a top American of the stature of the former president satisfy the North's craving for direct bilateral dealings with the US. For Pyongyang, this is something of a coup, as it represents confirmation of the regime's legitimacy and importance. Some will say the former president's visit is a mistake that rewards bad behaviour. But Washington may be prepared to concede this in the hope of making gains on the nuclear issue." ·