INTERVIEWER: One hour after the Berlin negotiations I spoke with Jack Straw, the British foreign secretary. I first asked: what did Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister and the host of the meeting, mean when in reference to the result of the talks he said Iran should choose between cooperation with the international community or international isolation?

FOREIGN SECRETARY: What it means is that the Iranian government has clear obligations and duties. It should carry out these commitments in particular those regarding the International Atomic Energy Agency and it should accept the demand of the Agency's Board of Governors that it should suspend all its uranium enrichment process and related activities. If Iran accepts these obligations then the way will open for cooperation regarding non-military nuclear energy and furthermore, relations with the European Union and other countries of the world, and I even think, in due course relations with America. This is very important for Iran. In contrast, if the Iranian government refuses to accept its practical obligations, as required from this country for its membership in the NPT, then Iran will face political isolation and other things. This is not good news for the Iranian nation. Allow me to say that contrary to what is being said on posters throughout Iran no-one in the West wants to prevent Iranians from using nuclear energy to provide electricity or meet other needs. However, the Iranian government has signed certain agreements and has taken an obligation not to use non-military nuclear energy for military purposes. The problem is that for 18 years the Iranian government misguided the IAEA about its activities and failed for about three years to carryout its commitments and obligations towards the Agency.

INTERVIEWER: I asked Mr Straw if the permanent members of the Security Council and Germany mean that they will not accept, under no circumstances, for Iran to continue its research and laboratory testing of the uranium enrichment process in Iran?

FOREIGN SECRETARY: No we are not saying that we are not going to accept enrichment for research purposes at all. We say that what Iran calls research and development is not in fact research but a form of practice and operational activity. They start the work with several centrifuges and once the operation is successful and they have learnt the method, they build more [centrifuges]. Allow me to say that we want the suspension of the process of the enrichment cycle of the nuclear fuel in Iran. I stress suspension. If in due course Iran carries out its obligations and attracts the trust of the international community then it will be able to manage the fuel cycle as it is the case with other non-nuclear countries. But it is Iran which has put itself in this position today because of deceit and, sometimes, by refusing to carryout its responsibilities.

INTERVIEWER: I referred to a remark by Manuchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign minister, that the Security Council statement was unjustified, and I asked the British foreign secretary if the six foreign ministers in Berlin have already accepted that Iran will respond negatively to their demand?

FOREIGN SECRETARY: Well, I think it is a mistake by the Iranian government to describe and interpret the statement in that way. I must say that we get mixed messages from the Iranian government. On the one hand, they say such things, and on the other hand, we get the message that the Iranian government, or at least some of its officials, want to talk. The statement of the Security Council is homogenous and it does not simply reflect the views of America, Britain, France and Germany. It also reflects the positions of the governments of China, Russia and even the non-permanent members of the Security Council. For this reason, the more reasonable officials in the Iranian government should think about this. They must think that Iranian government's tactics have alienated many of their friends, including Britain. They should also think that it will be very easy to get out of this situation, and to carry out their obligations and duties. There is a way to do this but they have to prove that they are serious about talking about this.

INTERVIEWER: Referring to Mr. Straw's remarks about the role of Russia and China in the talks, I said everyone is aware that the views of these two governments is different from those of America and Europe, both in the imposition of sanctions and the unlikely option of military intervention. After today's talks, can you say that these differences have been resolved?

FOREIGN SECRETARY: First of all, I speak about the possibility of military action. Nobody, none of the representatives of the countries in these talks spoke about military attack expect to rule it out in this case. And I made the position of the British government very clear, and this position is not different from those of China, Russia and other countries. Secondly, the Russian foreign minister has, in general, expressed serious doubts about the effectiveness of the UN sanctions. However, I listened to his statements carefully and I don't think he said that Russia will prevent the Security Council from imposing sanctions. We have to think about this very carefully. I don't want to pass a resolution that will impose sanctions. I want Iran to hold its head high in the international community and to use peaceful nuclear energy to produce electricity but at the same time to carryout its obligations. We have to think carefully to see if the actions that are being called sanctions are effective or not. I think it is a mistake to rule out the sanctions because sanctions have been effective in other international crises.

INTERVIEWER: Finally I asked Jack Straw: when there is talk about confidence building by Iran does it mean that there is a timetable on which the Iranian government can count on, and after which the permanent members of the Security Council will say that they have confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activity?

FOREIGN SECRETARY: If Iran starts a sensible negotiation with us and meets the requirements of the IAEA Board of Governors, we can include this timetable in the talks. However, in the current circumstances Iran is not interested in such talks.