Monday, December 15, 2008
US Department of State daily Press Briefing, Sean McCormack, Spokesman, Washington, DC, December 12, 2008 (excerpts) – In his daily press briefing , Sean McCormack, US State Department’s Spokesman that th Iranian regime is defying the will of the international system.
QUESTION: What is the update on the P-5+1? Is it still functioning? And are you expect – would the Administration issue a communiqu頯n how you – what you have achieved through P-5+1? Or are you going to start using other options?
MR. MCCORMACK: You know, contrary to reports that the P-5+1 has passed from the scene, it is still functioning and functioning well. As a matter of fact, I would expect that there probably will be some discussion about Iran as part of the trip – the Secretary’s trip up to New York, if not in a formal setting, in an informal setting. The underlying philosophy of the P-5+1 approach remains; that is, laying out for Iran two pathways, a positive pathway and a negative pathway. They have not taken up the opportunities of a positive pathway and, therefore, the disincentives remain in place. And I think increasingly, Iran is paying a price for the fact that it is defying the Security Council, it is defying the IAEA, and, in general, defying the will of the international system in this regard.
Yes, ma’am.