White House mostly mum on Clinton's NKorea mission

WASHINGTON — The White House took a tight-lipped stance Tuesday on former President Clinton's visit to North Korea to press for the release of two jailed Americans arrested in March.

"While this solely private mission to secure the release of the two Americans is on the ground, we will have no comment," said a statement by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. "We do not want to jeopardize the success of former President Clinton's mission."

Clinton earlier landed in North Korea on a private jet.

Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., said earlier Tuesday he hoped that Clinton's visit to Pyongyang would yield some progress on the difficult standoff between the United States and North Korea on nuclear issues.

Interviewed on NBC's "Today" show, Graham said he saw no problem with Clinton taking the lead on resolving the issue of the two women arrested in March. The Clinton visit was reminiscent of some missions that Bill Richardson, now the governor of New Mexico, had taken in the past.

Graham said that winning the release of the two young women arrested in March along the North Korean-Chinese border is "a priority of our government at the highest level." He said the "world is watching" how the leaders of North Korea will interact with Clinton and said it's time for Pyongyang's regime to "step up to the plate" and release the pair.

"You would expect that you would not send a former president knowing that he is not likely to be successful," Graham said. "Maybe we can build on this to do something better with nuclear weapons. ... I don't know if this is the beginning of something bigger."

Graham said he assumed Clinton had President Barack Obama's authority to act, saying that "I do not believe in cowboy diplomacy. ... Maybe this is a breakthrough, I would hope."

Tensions have increased between Washington and Pyongyang in the wake of North Korea's increased missile tests, including a series undertaken on July 4. The North Koreans have backed away from Six-Party talks aimed at getting them to renounce nuclear weapons ambitions.