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Ambassador Rice: Good afternoon, everyone. In anticipation of President Obama's historic first visit to the United Nations next week, I'd like to talk to you a bit about the work we've been doing at the U.N. over the past eight months to advance our interests and make Americans safer, and how the President intends to use his time up in the United Nations next week.

The United States has dramatically changed the tone, the substance, and the practice of our diplomacy at the United Nations and our approach to the U.N. as an institution, as well as our approach to multilateralism in general. We start from the premise that this change is necessary because we face an extraordinary array of global challenges -- things like poorly guarded nuclear facilities, terrorism by al Qaeda and its affiliates, nuclear challenges from Iran and North Korea, genocide and mass atrocities, cyber attacks on our digital infrastructure, pandemic disease, climate change, international criminal networks and organizations.

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First, we work at the U.N. to promote America's core national security interests. On North Korea, we negotiated a unanimous Security Council resolution imposing the toughest sanctions on the books against any country in the world today. We also continue our work in the Security Council to ensure that Iran meets its nuclear obligations and to deal with pressing crises in places from Congo to Somalia. Second, we participate constructively. Rather than throw up our hands and walk away, we're trying to roll up our sleeves and get things done.

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Reporter: Could I just do a quick follow-up -- I'm sorry -- could you tell us any other meetings going on that have to do with Cuba, Iran, or Syria?

Ambassador Rice: Not aware of meetings related to Cuba. With respect to Iran, this is a topic that I think will come up in a number of different meetings. We've talked about taking stock of where we are with Iran with our partners during this period of time. That will happen not only in a format of P5-plus-1 -- the Permanent 5 members of the Security Council: Russia, China, France, the U.K., and the U.S.; plus Germany. There will also be discussions at the G8 level.

So I think this will --

Reporter: I meant with them.

Ambassador Rice: No.

Are you doing this or am I? Do you want me to call --(Laughter.)

Mr. Gibbs: I'm sorry. Chip.

Reporter: Is the President expecting any concrete advances or agreements, anything that you can hold in your hand and say, this is what we accomplished during these three days?

Ambassador Rice: Well, yes, with respect to the United Nations Security Council summit, we are expecting agreement on a meaningful, comprehensive United Nations Security Council resolution on nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament.

Reporter: Anything else?

Reporter: That will be the only thing where we'll see a resolution of sorts that's offered by --

Ambassador Rice: That's the only place that we could get a resolution and that we --

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Reporter: Is there a summit-level meeting of the P5-plus-1? Will the six leaders get down -- sit down together? And what do you need to do to prepare for the October talks that -- there's a lot of set up with Iran?

Ambassador Rice: Well, the P5-plus-1 will meet at the ministerial level. But obviously the President will interact with the leaders individually of the P5 throughout his time there, including in the Security Council summit context. I will leave it to the State Department to outline our preparations for the October 1st meeting, but suffice it to say that the meetings in New York will be an important opportunity for the United States to concert with its partners and be very plain about our shared objectives, what we expect of Iran, and what will define a productive outcome.

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Reporter: One more on Iran, if I might. The talks coming up -- the Iranians have made very clear that although they're going to talk, they're not talking about suspending their program. President Ahmadinejad is going to be at the U.N. Are you hoping he's going to get an earful there?

Ambassador Rice: From everybody or --

Reporter: Well, from everybody. Or from the President --

Ambassador Rice: I don't expect that they will have a direct engagement. I think he may find that there are many Americans who are outraged by not only his comments of today -- which were hateful in again denying the Holocaust -- but also express their serious condemnation of what has transpired in Iran over the last several months in the wake of the elections. I would not be surprised if there were public gatherings that reinforced that message. And I think other governments that will be listening to Ahmadinejad's speech will be listening carefully as to whether he reprises many of the same themes that we've heard in the past or has anything different to say.

Reporter: I guess my question was whether you're expecting other governments to reinforce your message to him at the U.N.

Ambassador Rice: Yes.

Reporter: Do you expect the delegation from the United States to walk out when he speaks or when the leader of Libya speaks? And if they come up to try to approach the President, how will the President handle it?

Ambassador Rice: I don't want to presage or guess what they might say or what would be the appropriate response. That's in the realm of the hypothetical.

With respect to the Iranian leader, I don't think there's much likelihood that there will be an interaction. There's no obvious venue in which that would occur, and certainly we have no meetings or anything of the sort planned.

And with respect to Qadhafi, Libya holds a seat at present on the United Nations Security Council, and Libya will be present at the Security Council summit.

Mr. Gibbs: Jeff.

Reporter: Is that following through with what then-Senator Obama promised or pledged in his campaign, that he would have conversations and reach out with world leaders? Why not have some type of formal or informal discussions with President Ahmadinejad?

Ambassador Rice: Well, I think we have been very clear that there is an offer that was made by the P5-plus-1 in April. There is now of late been a response to it, albeit quite a vague response, and the opportunity in the venue for discussions will be October 1st.

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Reporter: Robert, the announcement yesterday was heavily based on intelligence about Iran's missile system, what they're building, what they're struggling with. How can you be confident, given the track record of our intelligence agencies, that that is accurate information?

Mr. Gibbs: Well, the President, the national security team, have confidence in the information and the assessments that they were given about -- without getting specific -- the current development where Iran is focused and where they're having some challenges.

Reporter: Have there been major changes in the intelligence capabilities the United States has for that region of the world? I don't think I need to point to you -- point you to failures that they've had in the past when it comes to Iran, Iraq, other countries in that area. What makes you think that this intelligence is correct?

Mr. Gibbs: Well, I think what's important is that a series and a group of people have confidence in it. Again, something I stated yesterday -- we have the very same players in Secretary Gates and in General Cartwright, the Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who, based on intelligence and based on technological assessments, determined in '06 and made a recommendation to then-President Bush who have, based on newer intelligence assessments and upgraded and better and more tested technology, made a recommendation to President Obama that he accepted. It's the same team, it's the same players that are making those judgments, and they have confidence in -- again, without getting detailed -- in those assessments.

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Reporter: Everything at the G8 seemed to indicate that these meetings next week, they would be -- we would know the direction of our relationship, negotiations, whatever you want to talk about it when it comes with Iran. By the end of next week, I mean, will it be clear that there's been -- there will be something tangible that everybody will be able to take away with: Okay, this Iran thing is headed this way or it's headed this way? I mean, is it -- is it fair to say that next week is sort of a fork-in-the-road moment?

Mr. Gibbs: Well, look, I think -- no, because I think, quite frankly, the fork-in-the-road moment is going to come with the Iranians. There's a decision point that they're going to have to make about the road in which they take on this.

Reporter: Right, but when is that deadline?

Mr. Gibbs: But let me -- well --

Reporter: I thought it was this week -- or next week.

Mr. Gibbs: Well, hold on. Let me -- let me just -- let me finish my answer. Obviously, this is a topic -- as Ambassador Rice said -- that comes up in our discussions. We'll just start next week. It's omnipresent. I think you heard her mention a ministerial-level meeting of the P5-plus-1, additional leaders that the President will talk to, including throughout the U.N. General Assembly and the G8. And I also think, though, that October 1st is an important meeting to determine how serious the Iranians are at addressing the multitude of international questions about their illicit nuclear weapons program. I think that's why -- when I mentioned the fork in the road, I think they've got some decisions that they're going to have to make, that their failure to answer or failure to even talk about I think will further galvanize the international community.

Reporter: I guess, should we anticipate -- whether it's in the communiqué on Friday at the G20 --

Mr. Gibbs: I guess I wouldn't look for one moment. I think this is something that is going to happen throughout the next several weeks, up to and including October 1st.

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