While field and military developments unfold in Syria, Western activity in the country is ongoing. Heavy battles continue in different areas, which entered its fifth year of a multiple-battlefront civil war in March. Western visitors are flocking to Damascus in official capacities, private visits to political figures or European civilian delegations. These trips convey different political, security, popular and civil messages. The first remarkable visit in this regard took place at the end of February, when a French parliamentary delegation arrived in Damascus. This step's political dimensions, preparations and implementation had been discussed at length.

As soon as talk about the visit wound down, another came to pass: a Belgian parliamentary delegation set foot in Damascus on March 24 and then in Beirut, carrying reams of political inquiries.

Among others, the delegation included Sen. Anke Van dermeersch of the Flemish parliament, federal parliament member Jan Penris, Democratie Nationale President Marco Santi and federal parliament member Filip Dewinter. Van dermeersch, Penris and Dewinter are members of the far-right Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) party, which agrees with the Democratie Nationale in making prevention of the so-called Islamization of Europe a key priority.

The Belgian delegation went a step further than the French and met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, holding a long discussion about the situation in Syria and the terrorism that is pinning down the Middle East and Europe. Remarkably, some media outlets reported that Assad told his visitors, "Some European countries are committing a grave mistake by allying with countries supporting terrorism."