TEHRAN -- Former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi has said Iran and the 5+1 group should move at the same pace with respect to the nuclear issue.

On Italy’s position toward Iran’s nuclear program, the veteran politician said Italy does not follow the United States like a schoolboy who obeys his teacher.
Prodi, the former chief of the European Commission, arrived in Tehran on Sunday to attend a conference on “Europe, Financial Crisis and Future Expectations” hosted by the Foreign Ministry.
Addressing the conference, he said, “I think that both Iran and the other sides should move at the same pace in the nuclear issue and I believe now it is time for taking new measures.”
Italy has always attached great importance to Iran and Rome’s relations with Tehran are special, he stated.
Elsewhere in his remarks, he pointed to the new developments in the world, urging Iran to adapt to new situations to play its role in international interactions.