St. Vincent, Iran establish diplomatic ties

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC -  St. Vincent and the Grenadines has established diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and has immediately secured a commitment by Tehran to assist in the construction of the US$200 million international airport, Foreign Minister Sir Louis Straker has said.

Sir Louis, who has returned from attending the 15th Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Tehran, said that he held several meetings with Iranian government officials, including Foreign Affairs Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

He said following the talks, a six-point agreement had been reached including a US$7 million grant and assistance for the construction of the airport.

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves is expected to visit Iran soon to discuss and finalise that assistance.

But Opposition leader Arnhim Eustace has expressed concerns about the new relationship with Iran.

"I am not comfortable with that. I will be watching this very closely. I am very concerned about that direction that we are going,” he said.

Eustace, speaking on a local radio programme on Wednesday, said that St. Vincent and the Grenadines could find itself in trouble with international agencies by aligning itself with countries like Iran.

"Eyebrows are being raised by the stands that we are taking…St.Vincent and the Grenadines is a small country and we are going to be caught up in a web of international relations," Eustace said, adding that the Gonsalves administration's foreign policy could inhibit assistance from traditional sources.

"These international agencies also have political agendas," he added.

But Sir Louis has dismissed those concerns, saying that he had no reason to question Iran's nuclear power programme which may be at the centre of concerns regarding diplomatic relations with that country.

"Nobody knows for sure…even the United States cannot say for sure it is otherwise…I have no reason to doubt them (the Iranians)," he added.

CMC/kij/pr/08