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BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY Over the past decades, Mr Hague believes British foreign policy has effectively frozen into three main "blocs" - the US, the European Union and the Middle East.

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His most ambitious plan is to tear up this blueprint and replace it with what he calls a "distinctive British foreign policy". This means being unafraid to promote better links with smaller countries, as well as emerging economic powerhouses such as Brazil, India and China.

As well as trade, relations can be maintained through education, culture, sport, diplomacy and military co-operation, Mr Hague thinks.

"We're getting on with that straight away. Many ministers will be visiting India in the coming months to strongly signal to India that we want to elevate that entire relationship.

"This is the exciting part of foreign policy - this is why I say it is very important to look at the opportunities as well as the threats.

"Napoleon's maxim was that the side that stays within its fortifications is beaten - and in foreign policy, and in ensuring our future security, the country that is just reactive is in decline. So we are embarking on a major new phase, more systematically and strategically than has been done in this country for a very long time. That is what I call a distinctive British foreign policy. We need a Foreign Office that has the confidence in itself and the rest of the Government to lead that process. The Prime Minister and I are determined to put right the problem of recent years that the Foreign Office has often not been able to play that role in foreign policy."

When asked if that was at least partly because Tony Blair used to do the job himself, he replied: "Yes!" PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN Mr Hague returned this weekend from a three-day visit to Pakistan, a country he describes as having a "critically important" relationship with Britain - and not only because it is the source of many terrorist threats.

He says: "There is a long-term relationship with Pakistan that is very important to this country.

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"It is strategically important but it is also important in terms of the myriad of human and business connections between the United Kingdom and Pakistan."

US/UK RELATIONS The BP oil spill and President Barack Obama's reaction to it, including what many see as anti-British rhetoric, suggest that the coming months and years could put a significant strain on what has long been seen as the "special relationship".

Mr Hague is pro-American, and would seem to be one of the best choices to ensure strong ties between London and Washington. He reveals here that he is already discussing ways with Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, of co-operating to ensure BP- style disasters cannot happen again.

"Government to government relations are excellent at every level ... we've had the warmest possible welcome from the Obama administration.

"It is important, of course for the leaders of our countries together to set the right tone about the BP accident, which is a catastrophe.

"I think one of the things that will emerge in bilateral relations, quite possibly, is work together by the UK and the US on how to prevent oil spills, and how to deal with them."

IRAN "It's very serious because it threatens a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, it threatens the wo
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