[Please note that only the original French text issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs may be considered official.]

I will read the statement Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy made on Saturday, March 24, after the adoption of resolution 1747:

"I welcome the unanimous adoption of resolution 1747 by the Security Council which has just taken place in New York.

In accordance with its previous commitments, the Security Council is today imposing additional sanctions on Iran in the wake of Tehran's refusal to suspend its sensitive nuclear activities.

These measures extend the sanctions which have already been in place for three months to additional individuals and entities contributing to Iran's proliferating activities. They concern the exports of weapons from and to Iran and provide for new restrictions in the economic and financial spheres.

These measures became inevitable when the IAEA observed in its latest report that Iran was still refusing to comply with its international obligations as decided by the preceding United Nations resolutions.

Today, our objective remains, more than ever, to convince Iran to comply with its international commitments. With this new resolution, the Security Council is reaffirming the clear choice confronting the Iranian leaders: to cooperate with the international community or pursue their enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and worsen still further their international isolation.

In this respect, the capture of 15 British sailors and marines by the Iranian forces is a worrying act which goes against the efforts to calm things down and is one we condemn. I call for their immediate release.

Once again, I urge the Iranian authorities to opt for dialogue and return to the negotiating table."

Q - Iran has called the new resolution "illegal" and announced it was limiting its cooperation with the IAEA. What's your reaction?

A - We heard with concern the statements by the Iranian government spokesman announcing the "partial limitation on cooperation with the IAEA." The scope of these statements remains uncertain.

In any case, I would like to point out that Iran has obligations to cooperate with the IAEA which it has to keep under the NPT, under its safeguards agreement with the Agency and the resolutions adopted by the Security Council (1696, 1737, 1747). Under resolution 1737, Iran will have to give the IAEA the access and cooperation it asks for in order to verify suspension and resolve all the outstanding questions mentioned in its reports.

Q - Do you see a link between Iran's capture of the British sailors and the vote on the new resolution on Iran in the Security Council?

A - I refer you to the statement made by the minister on Saturday, March 24. Mr. Douste-Blazy called the capture "a worrying act that goes against the efforts to calm things down."

It is not my place to comment on the link you mentioned. I refer you to the statements by the British authorities.