Belgium lawmakers say public opinion in Europe shifts toward Syria crisis

A visiting Belgium delegation of parliamentarians said Monday that the public opinion in many European countries is changing toward the Syrian crisis, according to state news agency SANA.

Speaking during their meeting with President Bashar al-Assad in the capital Damascus, the delegation said that the public opinion in a large number of European countries are witnessing a "notable shift" toward what is happening in Syria.

The delegation pointed out that the parliamentarian visits to Syria will be conducive in helping the public opinion in Europe to have a clearer picture "in the face of the lies disseminated in Europe about the events in Syria."

For his part, Assad said that most European countries have adopted "unrealistic policies" since the beginning of the war in Syria, adding that such countries, which he didn't name, hurt their people's interests by supporting the terrorist groups in Syria.

The Assad administration has for long accused the West and some regional countries of supporting the nearly six-year-old insurgency in Syria.

Still, the expansion of the terrorist groups in Syria and their backlash in Europe have apparently helped in partially changing the view in Europe regarding the Syrian war, as Western parliamentarian delegations, including French, have repeatedly visited Syria recently and met with Assad and the foreign ministry officials as well as visiting other Syrian cities, including the northern city of Aleppo. Endit