MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

France cautions Venezuela on “nuclear links” with Iran

President Chavez has described the Teheran regime as a strategic ally

France cautioned Venezuela that any nuclear technology transfer from Iran would represent a “violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions”.

In a strongly worded release the French Foreign Affairs ministry said Paris does not question Venezuela’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, but any country benefiting from Iranian nuclear technology is infringing, particularly, UN Security Council 1737.

Adopted in December 2006, the resolution, one of five on the issue, calls on all UN members, among other things, to restrain from purchasing nuclear related items or equipment from Iran, be it from that territory or not.

Quai D’Orsay underlined that the storing of uranium, even only lightly enriched without a “credible civilian purpose” is most worrisome and recalled that “the Iranian nuclear plans have caused unease in the whole of the international community”.

Earlier this week at the beginning of his eighth visit to Iran, President Chavez said Iran was a “strategic ally” and in a long interview with Le Figaro thanked the Teheran regime for the nuclear technology transfer from “Iran to Venezuela”.

He further argued in favour of Iran’s and Venezuela’s right to develop nuclear energy as any other country in the world. He also anticipated that Teheran would collaborate with Venezuela in building a “nuclear village” for the development of the industry.

However Venezuelan ambassador in Iran David Velazquez Carballo said that currently there is no nuclear cooperation between both countries, although it could be possible “in the future”.

Chavez all along insisted that Iran has a right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful means and underlined there is no evidence that the Teheran regime effectively wants to manufacture weapons of mass destruction such as an atomic bomb.