. . .

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, one question about the P-5+1 talks with Iran that seem to be coming up in a couple of weeks. The Iranians have been quite explicit and unequivocal that they are not interested in talking about their own nuclear program, although they said they are willing to talk about global disarmament. So the question is: Why would you want to go into these talks if they have said in advance that they won't discuss the issue that's of most concern to you?

And if I may add a related question on a nuclear problem, on North Korea, your aides have been saying in recent days that the U.S. is now prepared to talk to North Korea one-on-one, to try to get them to come back into the Six-Party format. Why would you do that? What makes you think that they would change their mind and stop refusing to return? Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, as you know, we and our partners in the P-5+1 have agreed to a meeting on October 1st. And our delegation will be led by Under Secretary Bill Burns. I think it is important to underscore that we have made clear to the Iranians that any talks we participate in must address the nuclear issue head on. It cannot be ignored. Iran says it has a number of issues that it wishes to discuss with us. But what we are concerned about is discussing with them the questions surrounding their nuclear program and ambitions.

We know that there is no prediction as to what will come from these talks. We have no illusions about the Iranian Government. But the point is to meet and explain to the Iranians, face to face, the choices that Iran has, and to see whether Iran is prepared to engage with us around its nuclear program. The P-5+1 is the forum for addressing the Iranian nuclear program. And we have adopted a two-track approach. We are, on the one hand, working to see whether anything positive can come from this meeting on October 1st. But we are also working with the international community on consequences that would flow if Iran fails to fulfill their international obligations on their nuclear program.

So this is going to be a fulfillment of President Obama's promise of engagement. We think it is very much worthwhile. But we are not going to be talking for the sake of talking, and we're not engaging in a process that has no purpose or endpoint. So we will wait to see how Iran responds in that face-to-face venue.

. . .