ALTINOZU, Turkey- UN envoy Angelina Jolie traveled to Turkey's border with Syria on Friday, sharing fruit and dessert with some of the thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled their government's bloody crackdown.
The Hollywood celebrity and goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees arrived in the Turkish province of Hatay on a private jet with boxes of toys for the refugee camps and visited one of the three refugee camps in Turkey, where nearly 10,000 Syrians have sought refuge.
Jolie spent two-and-a-half hours with about 1,700 refugees at a camp in Altinozu, 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the Syrian border, asking how they were in Arabic and then speaking with them through an interpreter, Turkey's NTV television reported. It said she took notes, showing particular interest in the women and children.
"The people in this camp have fled in fear for their lives, and many told me they were distraught about the safety of loved ones still in Syria." Jolie said in a UNHCR statement.
Jolie met with one woman who managed to leave Syria heavily pregnant, and has since given birth to her child in the camp, the statement said. She told how her husband had been killed. Another distraught woman told Jolie how she was sick with worry about the fate of her husband still in Syria and unable to cross the border.
"The woman claimed her husband was one of many, too afraid to cross," Jolie added.
The American actress praised Turkey for welcoming the refugees, saying it is critical in these situations that people have access to safety.
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