The Guyana government says it has no fear of running afoul of the new sanctions brought against Iran by the US, UN and European Union who believe that the Islamic state is pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Iran has consistently denied.

Iran has said its nuclear programme is solely to produce energy for its people. Among the new round of sanctions levied by the UN last month is one barring Iranian investment in nuclear-related industries in any country.

President Bharrat Jagdeo visited the Islamic republic in January this year and upon his return revealed that an offer was made by that country’s government to help map Guyana’s mineral reserves. Also coming out of that trip was a grant for US$1.5 million  from that government for the health sector and the removal of restrictions on visa requirements for diplomatic travel.

A four-member delegation of Iranian geologists visited Guyana in March for preliminary discussions and a Memorandum of Under-standing was signed. However, there is a belief that the offer to map local mineral reserves may be tied to identifying and mining deposits of uranium, a metal which could be enriched and used in nuclear reactors or weapons.

When asked on Thursday about the status of the Iranian offer Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said they were awaiting word from that country on the next move following the visit by the geologists. On the issue of the nuclear fear, she said it was nothing of the sort.

“It wasn’t in that sense at all. They’ve been very good at how they got their country … we had the opportunity to see that. We were able to see that first hand there, but certainly it’s not in that area, one might want to say that but its not so.”

According to the foreign minister, the government has to look out for Guyana’s interest. Stabroek News had earlier raised the issue with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who has responsibility for the mining sector. At that time he had merely said that Guyana had taken note of the fresh sanctions instituted by the UN Security Council in the light of negotiations between the two countries on the mapping of Guyana’s mineral resources.

In January, Jagdeo had said that Iran had also agreed to assist in the development of the health and agricultural sectors here, plans which had raised concerns among the populace, including the opposition PNCR. Parliamentarian Aubrey Norton stated during the 2010 Budget debate that the PNCR-1G believed that every state had the right to choose its friends. However, he contended that this must be done in context of the extant international situation and in Guyana’s strategic interest and according to him, much more analysis needed to be done of the timing of state visits. His comment was a reference to the President’s trip to the Middle East which had included a trip to Kuwait.

The latest UN  sanctions builds on previous sanctions by deciding that Iran shall not acquire an interest in any commercial activity in another state involving uranium mining, production or use of nuclear materials and technology.  Among other elements, the resolution alerts states to the potential link between Iran’s energy sector revenues and energy-related technologies and proliferation, and establishes a UN panel of experts to help monitor and enforce sanctions implementation.

Tehran has insisted it would go ahead with its uranium enrichment plans, which are at the centre of the dispute and the Islamic state has also threatened to relinquish its membership of the IAEA. Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the UN resolution, which was developed after five months of deliberations by Security Council members, as “valueless” and should be thrown “in the waste bin like a used handkerchief”.

The Security Council has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Iran since 2006, including a ban on all items which could contribute to the country’s enrichment of uranium, a necessary step for both peaceful and militaristic uses of nuclear energy, and arms sales and a freeze on assets.

The council also decided that all states shall prevent the supply, sale or transfer to Iran of battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles or missile systems.

It also asks states to take all necessary measures to prevent the transfer to Iran of technology or technical assistance related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.