The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the US and the Israeli regime are the main culprits behind the ongoing atrocities in Syria.

During a Friday meeting with Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nader al-Halqi on the sidelines of the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Tehran, Ayatollah Khamenei lashed out at Washington and Tel Aviv as the “main culprits behind the heart-wrenching developments in Syria.”

The Leader described continuation of the existing circumstances in Syria and the massacre of the people in the country as “unacceptable,” noting, “The main culprits in Syria’s developments are those who have paved the way for the influx of weapons into Syria and financially support irresponsible [terrorist] groups.”

The Leader noted that if arms as well as financial and propaganda support were provided to opposition groups in any country, they would have experienced a situation similar to Syria.

“If today, money and weapons were given to those opposing the policies of European governments and stage demonstrations, the current situation in Syria would be certainly created in those countries,” Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out.

“The NAM is undoubtedly more entitled to be politically involved in the Syrian issues than the US, NATO and certain European countries,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.

The Leader noted that the Syrian government should not give any pretext to opponents and continue political reforms while explaining and disclosing the reality on the ground as well as behind-the-scene conspiracies against Syria to the Western countries’ public opinion.

The Syrian premier, for his part, called for NAM’s more active role regarding the Syrian unrest and said the Syrian government is determined to confront terrorist groups and continue political reforms and national dialogue.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on August 28 that the “situation on the ground is better but we have not yet won -- this will take more time.”