Seeking to avoid confusion caused by rumors of a military invasion by neighboring Suriname on its border, Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement last night that the reports of a threat were not made by the present Surinamese administration.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to reiterate that it was a former President of Suriname who publicly stated that he had given instructions for the invasion of Guyana's territory, but that those instructions were aborted because his government had come to the end of its term in office," the statement said.

"At no time did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs insinuate or state that it was the current President or Government in Suriname that had given its military instructions to invade Guyana's territory.”

The clarification comes on the heels of remarks made on Monday by Guyanese Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett in response to statements made by official and unofficial Surinamese sources. "The use of force,” she said to Parliament, “would indeed be a breach of international law that will require Guyana to take action to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial.”

Birkett said that past Surinamese governments have tried to take over Guyana that included an invasion in 1969, which was later squashed by the Guyanese Defense Force. Such an attempt would be in violation of the 1936 Tri Junction agreement among Guyana. Suriname, and Brazil. That act recognizes the boundary location on the headwaters of the Cutari River, and that the new River Triangle is within the sovereign territory of Guyana.”

Despite its explanation that Suriname had not contributed to the invasion threat , the foreign affairs ministry offered this advice to its neighbor: "The Government of Guyana has however called on the current Government of Suriname to publicly state its opposition to the use of, or threat of the use of force as an option in its policies towards Guyana,” said the statement.