Report: Bill Clinton meets with North Korean leader

(CNN) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in North Korea Tuesday, North Korea's state-run news agency reported.

Clinton arrived in Pyongyang earlier in the day on a mission to negotiate the release of two American journalists who have been held in the reclusive communist nation since March, the White House confirmed.

Clinton "courteously conveyed a verbal message" to Kim from U.S. President Barack Obama, North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs denied that Clinton was carrying any message from the Obama administration.

Kim and Clinton had "an exhaustive conversation" that included "a wide-ranging exchange of views on the matters of common concern," KCNA reported.

Earlier in the day, Gibbs confirmed Clinton was on a "solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans," but gave little detail on his itinerary .

"We do not want to jeopardize the success of former President Clinton's mission," Gibbs said.

KCNA did not disclose the purpose of Clinton's visit in its reports. But a source with detailed knowledge of the former president's movements told CNN late Monday that Clinton was going to seek the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, both reporters for California-based Current TV - a media venture launched by Clinton's former vice president, Al Gore.

Ling and Lee were arrested while reporting on the border between North Korea and China and sentenced in June to 12 years in prison on charges of entering the country illegally to conduct a smear campaign. Since the United States has no diplomatic relations with North Korea, efforts to resolve the issue have been handled through Sweden, which represents U.S. interests in the reclusive communist state.