Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said on Tuesday that the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is "good" if it is enforced justly, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Larijani made the remarks at a joint press conference with visiting Chairman of Pakistan's Senate Foreign Relations Committee Mushahid Hussain Sayed.

His latest remarks indicated that Iran may not pull out of the NPT even though it has vowed to reduce its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to retaliate UN sanctions.

"If this treaty is enforced properly and justly, its regulations are good," Larijani was quoted as saying, adding the NPT "includes both nuclear disarmament and support for the states intending to proceed with nuclear programs for peaceful purposes".

"We insist on cooperating within the frameworks of the agency (IAEA), despite the unjust implementation of NPT in the world," he stressed.

Larijani noted that holding talks is the best way to solve the nuclear standoff and negotiations can be based on "various innovative approaches."

Iran's parliament in late December passed a bill urging the government to reduce its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA in an reaction to the UN sanctions imposed on Tehran.

The UN Security Council Resolution 1737, adopted unanimously on Dec. 23, demanded that Iran "suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and developments on all heavy water-related projects."

The resolution also called on all states to impose a ban on trade with Iran in goods related to its nuclear programs and ballistic missile delivery systems.

Shortly after the UN Security Council's unanimous vote, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement lashing out at the resolution as an "illegal measure."

Source: Xinhua