Bill Clinton meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il

This image made from video broadcast Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009, by KRT, shows an still photograph of former US President Bill Clinton, right, standing with North Korea's leader Kim Jong II in Pyongyang, North Korea. Former US President Bill Clinton met Tuesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on the first day of a surprise visit to Pyongyang, holding 'exhaustive' talks that covered a wide range of topics, state-run media said.

(AP Photo/KRT TV via APTN)

Former President Bill Clinton met Tuesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on the first day of a surprise mission to Pyongyang to negotiate the release of two Americans, holding "exhaustive" talks on a wide range of topics, state-run media said.Clinton "courteously" conveyed a verbal message from President Barack Obama, the official Korean Central News Agency said in a report from Pyongyang.Kim expressed his thanks, and engaged Clinton in a "wide-ranging exchange of views on matters of common concern," the report said.