The White House is dismissing concerns that former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s visit to North Korea could set a precedent for other rogue states in similar situations.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the former president’s trip to North Korea to facilitate the release of two American journalists who had been detained in the North since March set no precedence for any political gains by rogue nations, as it was purely a humanitarian act on behalf of an individual American citizen.

Gibbs also said that international pressure to ensure North Korea’s abolishment of its nuclear program will not diminish despite the release of the two journalists.

Clinton told reporters at the Clinton Foundation in New York that his only mission was to secure the release of the two women, saying that any additional comments about the visit to the North could “inadvertently affect the decisions and moves either here or in North Korea, and the attitudes of U.S. allies.”