Azernews.Az

The deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) says Tehran is ready to engage with the P5+1 group to find a solution to all the outstanding issues between the two sides, Press TV reported.

"The ball is now in the court of the P5+1," Ali Baqeri told Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) representatives on the sidelines of the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in Geneva on Wednesday.

During his address, Baqeri recalled the Islamic Republic's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors and its full commitment to the NPT, regretting the West's obstructionism and sanction policy despite Tehran's goodwill gestures in the past years.

The Iranian official insisted that the P5+1 (Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, and Germany) must now demonstrate its commitment to constructive talks with Iran if it is interested in a negotiated solution to the West's dispute with the Islamic Republic over its nuclear energy program.

Baqeri criticized the European Union for failing to adopt a clear stance on Iran's proposals in the last round of talks between the two sides held on April 5-6 in the Kazakh city of Almaty, despite a promise by the EU Foreign Policy chief to get in touch with SNSC Secretary Saeed Jalili to discuss the way forward.

"During a press conference, Mrs. Catherine Ashton clearly stated that the P5+1 representatives would return to their capitals and after consulting with their [senior] officials, Mr. Jalili would be informed on their decision within a few days. But weeks past that time, no response has yet been received," he explained.

Baqeri called on the West to respect the elements of "talks for cooperation," urging the P5+1 group to either agree to a complete resolution in one sitting, or to pursue a step-by-step approach -- as proposed by Iran in the second round of Almaty talks.

He also called on the Western side to "unconditionally recognize Iran's rights within the framework of the NPT" in order to help advance negotiations and allay suspicions that the West is trying to buy time.