By Hank Drew
The Public Press
North Korean media outlets have reported that jailed San Francisco journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling have been granted a "special pardon" and will be released after a visit by former President Bill Clinton.
The Los Angeles Times reported that negotiations leading to Clinton’s secret trip had "lasted for months."
The journalists were arrested in March after crossing into North Korea from China to film a report about refugees for San Francisco-based Current TV, founded by Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore. They were convicted of "hostile acts" and sentenced to 12 years’ hard labor.
In a statement Tuesday morning, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs sought to tamp down reports that the mission was part of an effort by President Obama to improve relations and resolve nuclear tensions.
"While this solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans is on the ground, we will have no comment," Gibbs said. "We do not want to jeopardize the success of former President Clinton’s mission."
The families of the journalists released a statement on www.lauraandeuna.com Tuesday afternoon:
The families of Laura Ling and Euna Lee are overjoyed by the news of their pardon. We are so grateful to our government: President Obama, Secretary Clinton and the U.S. State Department for their dedication to and hard work on behalf of American citizens.
We especially want to thank President Bill Clinton for taking on such an arduous mission and Vice President Al Gore for his tireless efforts to bring Laura and Euna home. We must also thank all the people who have supported our families through this ordeal, it has meant the world to us. We are counting the seconds to hold Laura and Euna in our arms.
Relations between North Korea and the United States have been hostile since former President George W. Bush declared North Korea a member of the "axis of evil" and Pyongyang escalated its nuclear-weapons program.
Update at 5:06 p.m.: Ling and Lee have left North Korea with Clinton, bound for Los Angeles.
