Despite Clinton Mission Obama, White House Says “Nothing had Changed” with North Korea.

Despite Clinton Mission Obama, White House Says “Nothing had Changed” with North Korea.

White House officials deliberately held back from making any conciliatory gestures to North Korea a day after former President Bill Clinton returned from the country having secures the release of two American women held there since March.

The message from official White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Thursday was that U.S policy towards North Korea has not changed in any way as a result of Clinton’s private mission.

Gibbs repeated the now familiar position that the US holds on the issue, that U.N sanctions will be upheld to ensure that the “weapons of mass destruction” held by the North Koreans are not spread.

In his first public statements since returning to the U.S Bill Clinton seemed to be measuring his words very carefully.

"I wanted those young women to be able to come home and I wanted our two countries to have the ability to decide where to go from here," he said. "But anything I say beyond that could inadvertently affect the decisions and moves either here or in North Korea and I have no business doing that. I'm not a policymaker anymore."

President Obama’s national security adviser, General Jim Jones, was a little more forthcoming than Robert Gibbs, but equally firm about the fact that at the moment nothing has changed about Obama’s stance toward Kim Jong II and his policies. When he was asked by the press corps if anything had changed as a result of Clinton’s mission he replied "No, I don't think so. I think that this was a humanitarian mission." He then went on to add “We certainly hope it will lead to good things. Who knows where the future will lead? ... We're delighted that it worked out this way, but I wouldn't draw any other conclusions beyond the fact."

Former President Clinton has been briefing both State and White House officials about his 90 minute meeting with the reclusive Kim Jong II. He said he had a brief telephone conversation with President Obama and as one might expect a far longer conversation with the Secretary of State, his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In an interview with CNN Hillary Clinton said “What we're hoping is that maybe, without it being part of the mission in a way, the fact this was done will perhaps lead the North Koreans to recognize they can have a positive relationship with us”.

Although it is presumed that the two Presidents will meet for a further discussion at some point a meeting between Barack Obama and Bill Clinton has yet to be scheduled.