Published on Sep 16, 2012 by Aus4UNHCR
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie and
the refugee agency's chief, António Guterres, talk to Syrian refugees in
Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. UNHCR urgently needs your help to reach more
refugee families with emergency supplies - please donate: https://www.unrefugees.org.au
Published on Sep 13, 2012 by Nizar Abboud
On the second day of a joint visit to
countries hosting tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, the head of the
UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) António Guterres and Special Envoy Angelina
Jolie today (12 September) heard about the difficulties people face in
escaping war-torn Syria and the challenges of finding shelter for them
in Lebanon.Guterres and Jolie visited the Bekaa Valley neighbouring Syria and met some of the 67,000 registered refugees in Lebanon as well as members of host communities.
Published on Sep 12, 2012 by telegraphtv
After meeting Syrian refugees in
Lebanon, Hollywood actress and UNHCR Special envoy Angelina Jolie, says
she hopes the world acknowledges Lebanon's generosity.
HQ Photos (more at link)
Hussein Malla AP / Lehtikuva Soumen Kuvalehti
Team Jolie
Published on Sep 12, 2012 by KataebTV
Angelina Jolie In Lebanon
Published on Sep 12, 2012 by gilbertsaab
Us online
September 12, 2012 AT 9:45AM
Jolie said she admires the displaced peoples' hopeful spirit. "The
Lebanese people themselves are dealing with their own problems," she
explained. "It is all the more meaningful that they are so generous and
so kind, and I hope the world acknowledges that."
PHOTOS: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt visit Syria
Earlier this year, Jolie was promoted to the diplomat-level position of UNHCR special envoy after serving more than 10 years as a goodwill ambassador.
Photos Jared
The Daily Star (Lebanon)
Angelina Jolie meets Mikati, visits Syrian refugees in Lebanon
September 12, 2012 03:10 PM
By Stephen Dockery
BEIRUT: Actress and celebrity Angelina Jolie met with Prime Minister
Najib Mikati Wednesday and visited Syrian refugees in Lebanon as part of
a regional tour to draw attention to their plight.
U.N. refugee agency's special envoy, actress Angelina Jolie, at
the government palace in Beirut September 12, 2012, after meeting
Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati. (REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir)
BEIRUT: Actress Angelina Jolie visited Syrian refugees in Lebanon Wednesday as part of a regional tour to draw attention to their plight.
“I was very moved today to meet again with the Syrian families and to meet them here – not in a camp but in homes where they are welcomed and protected,” Jolie said during a news conference at the Grand Serail following a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Jolie toured border towns in the Bekaa and visited the homes of several refugees and their hosts. She was accompanied by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, who also attended the meeting with Mikati.
Jolie’s role as U.N. special envoy entails touring Syrian refugee communities in an attempt to highlight their hardships and increase international support for them.
Wearing a flowing taupe robe, Jolie said she was particularly moved by an encounter with three Syrian women and their children who made the crossing into Lebanon alone. Joile also visited schools and shelters where refugees are staying.
“The Lebanese people themselves are dealing with their own problems,” she said. “It is all the more meaningful that they are so generous and so kind, and I hope the world acknowledges that.”
There are over 66,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon who are registered or awaiting registration. Local aid organizations say there are likely tens of thousands more who have not sought aid with UNHCR – they estimate there are over 90,000 refugees in the country.
Jolie was in Jordan Tuesday, where she toured a refugee camp and called for an end to the violence in Syria.
Speaking at the Grand Serail, Guterres’ called for more international assistance for the Syrian refugees.
“I believe the international community needs to do more in expressing solidarity with the Syrian refugees themselves that are suffering so much,” Guterres said.
UNHCR remains well short of its funding goals it has set to provide for an increasing number of refugees in the region. The United States is one of the organization’s main funders and a number of nations have made donations as the conflict in Syria has worsened.
Guterres said he commended Mikati on the government’s work with refugees and hoped to further cooperation with UNHCR over how to better aid the refugee community.
“Lebanon kept its borders open; Lebanon kept the doors of its houses open to their brothers and sisters coming from Syria. This is an example to the world,” Guterres said.
Despite a number of areas of cooperation the relationship between UNHCR and the government has been strained over a number of issues. The government has been slow to grant access to UNHCR officials to a number of high-population refugee areas. In Tripoli the government delayed setting up a refugee registration point for months.
Political leaders have resisted the idea of establishing refugee camps for the Syrians as Turkey and Jordan have done. Many refugees are staying with host families while other are housed in public buildings and shelters.
“We fully respect the Lebanese policy and we think that the best way to receive refugees is in the host communities,” Guterres said.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on September 13, 2012, on page 3.
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
Stephen Dockery @S_Dockery
Al Arabiya
By AFP
Beirut
Stephen Dockery @S_Dockery
Was at press conference with Angelina Jolie and UNHCR head at#Lebanon's Grand Serail on Syrian refugee conditions. Not much said.
Pro-tip for jounros: know how many #Syrian #refugees there are before you go to a press conference on UNHCR and Syrian refugees
@TarekMendelek @RawadAHabib Indeed, a short visit. to Beirut and the Bekaa I believe
Lack of funds threatens#Syrian #refugee medical care in Lebanon -MSF http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/lack-of-funds-threatens-syrian-refugee-medical-care-in-lebanon/ …
Moe Swaid @MhdSwaid
@immortalevfan she visited families in Majdal Anjar and a school in Barelias! Thats what I only knew
@immortalevfan I think she left !
Abbey Dawn Batch! @Myriam_Avril
Awwww what Angelina Jolie said about Lebanon is so sweet! Thank you :') http://pic.twitter.com/srLhKjJl
Beiruting
U.N. refugee agency's special envoy actress Angelina Jolie arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday to visit the Syrians who fled the turmoil in their country.
Jolie expressed concern for the alarming humanitarian situation the Syrians are passing through.
The Hollywood star, accompanied by U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, held a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled the chaos as an uprising against President Bashar Assad has become increasingly violent.
The U.N. says more than 1.2 million Syrians, over half of them children, have become internally displaced in the country while an estimated 250,000 refugees sought shelter in neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. With around 40,000 refugee in Lebanon.
On Tuesday, Jolie visited a refugee camp in Jordan where she appealed to the world to "do everything they can to support these refugees" fleeing the escalating conflict in their country.
She is expected to arrive in Turkey on Thursday to visit Syrian refugee camps near the border with the conflict-ravaged country.
UNHCR says it has so far only received a little over $9 million in aid for a regional appeal it has made for the Syrian refugees.
The UNHCR in April promoted Jolie from serving as its goodwill ambassador to special envoy due to her exceptional work for the agency.
La GHIA @GhiakanJ
Eli Abi Semaan @Eliii_as
beiruting @beiruting
Naharnet @Naharnet
Angie Nassar @angienassar
Moe Swaid @MhdSwaid
@ObeidAhmad @jeanassy she left to Beirut 30 minutes ago
Ahmed Zidan @zidanism
Beirut.com @BeirutCityGuide
Moe Swaid @MhdSwaid
Angelina Jolie visiting the Syrian refugees in#Bekaa #Lebanon God Bless Her http://lockerz.com/s/243622204
Tim Fitzsimons @tfitzsimons
@WakingUpToRoses an ok do you have any pics ?:)
@OnlySabine yess :p go to facebook
Aubergine أوبرجين
@oh_bergine
@oh_bergine Yes, she told me last night B-)
Fixer/Translator @Fixer_Turkey
Hollywood star and U.N. special envoy Angelina Jolie is expected to visit refugee camps in the southern Turkish province of Hatay tomorrow, sources closely involved with the issue told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday.
It is not yet clear whether Jolie will stay in Turkey for more than one day, or whether she will accompany U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) Antonio Guterres who will pay a two-day visit to Turkey over the course of tomorrow and Sept. 14. Jolie’s last visit to Turkey was in June 2011 to Hatay’s Altınözü district.
Jolie also visited the refugee camp in Jordan, which currently hosts about 30,000 Syrians displaced by the violence.
“I am very concerned, the world is very concerned,” The Associated Press quoted Jolie as saying during her high-profile visit, which aimed to focus international attention on the plight of Syrian refugees and to attract more funding to help them. “What is very heartbreaking is when Syrian people ask you why you think no one is able to find a solution for them.”
“What they described on the ground, hearing it from them is so horrific,” she said, adding that the children’s stories were especially moving. Guterres appealed to the international community to “help us and help the Jordanian government ... in order to be able to massively invest in improving the living conditions of refugees in this camp ... please help us.”
In Geneva, meanwhile, UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said the number of refugees who have fled Syria for neighboring countries since the start of the conflict nearly 18 months ago had reached more than 250,000.
“The latest figures show that more than a quarter of a million Syrian refugees (253,106 people) have now been registered in the surrounding region, or are awaiting registration,” Edwards said, according to Agence France-Presse.
Angelina Jolie's humanitarian work is never done.
After meeting with nearly 200 new Syrian refugees near Mafraq, Jordan, overnight September 11, the 37-year-old actress and UNHCR special envoy spoke on their behalf during a press conference later that morning.
"I'm grateful to Jordan and all the border countries for keeping their borders open, for saving these people's lives," Jolie told reporters gathered under a Bedouin tent. "They are dying in Syria. If they were unable to escape with their families, many of the people here, many of people I met today would in fact be dead. It's an extraordinary thing that they are doing."
The Za'atri refugee camp hosts about 28,000 Syrians displaced by the 18-month conflict. "It's impossible to imagine any mother standing by and not stepping up and doing something to prevent this," said Jolie, who has six children with her fiance, actor Brad Pitt, 48. "We encourage the international community to support the people here until one day they go back home."
On September 12, the Academy Award winner traveled to Beirut, Lebanon to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati; she was joined by UN high commissioner for refugees Antonio Guterres. "I was very moved today to meet again with the Syrian families and to meet them here -- not in a camp but in homes where they are welcomed and protected," the Girl, Interrupted star said after the meeting during a press conference at the Grand Serail.
After meeting with nearly 200 new Syrian refugees near Mafraq, Jordan, overnight September 11, the 37-year-old actress and UNHCR special envoy spoke on their behalf during a press conference later that morning.
"I'm grateful to Jordan and all the border countries for keeping their borders open, for saving these people's lives," Jolie told reporters gathered under a Bedouin tent. "They are dying in Syria. If they were unable to escape with their families, many of the people here, many of people I met today would in fact be dead. It's an extraordinary thing that they are doing."
The Za'atri refugee camp hosts about 28,000 Syrians displaced by the 18-month conflict. "It's impossible to imagine any mother standing by and not stepping up and doing something to prevent this," said Jolie, who has six children with her fiance, actor Brad Pitt, 48. "We encourage the international community to support the people here until one day they go back home."
On September 12, the Academy Award winner traveled to Beirut, Lebanon to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati; she was joined by UN high commissioner for refugees Antonio Guterres. "I was very moved today to meet again with the Syrian families and to meet them here -- not in a camp but in homes where they are welcomed and protected," the Girl, Interrupted star said after the meeting during a press conference at the Grand Serail.
PHOTOS: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt visit Syria
Earlier this year, Jolie was promoted to the diplomat-level position of UNHCR special envoy after serving more than 10 years as a goodwill ambassador.
Photos Jared
The Daily Star (Lebanon)
Angelina Jolie meets Mikati, visits Syrian refugees in Lebanon
September 12, 2012 03:10 PM
By Stephen Dockery
BEIRUT: Actress Angelina Jolie visited Syrian refugees in Lebanon Wednesday as part of a regional tour to draw attention to their plight.
“I was very moved today to meet again with the Syrian families and to meet them here – not in a camp but in homes where they are welcomed and protected,” Jolie said during a news conference at the Grand Serail following a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Jolie toured border towns in the Bekaa and visited the homes of several refugees and their hosts. She was accompanied by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, who also attended the meeting with Mikati.
Jolie’s role as U.N. special envoy entails touring Syrian refugee communities in an attempt to highlight their hardships and increase international support for them.
Wearing a flowing taupe robe, Jolie said she was particularly moved by an encounter with three Syrian women and their children who made the crossing into Lebanon alone. Joile also visited schools and shelters where refugees are staying.
“The Lebanese people themselves are dealing with their own problems,” she said. “It is all the more meaningful that they are so generous and so kind, and I hope the world acknowledges that.”
There are over 66,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon who are registered or awaiting registration. Local aid organizations say there are likely tens of thousands more who have not sought aid with UNHCR – they estimate there are over 90,000 refugees in the country.
Jolie was in Jordan Tuesday, where she toured a refugee camp and called for an end to the violence in Syria.
Speaking at the Grand Serail, Guterres’ called for more international assistance for the Syrian refugees.
“I believe the international community needs to do more in expressing solidarity with the Syrian refugees themselves that are suffering so much,” Guterres said.
UNHCR remains well short of its funding goals it has set to provide for an increasing number of refugees in the region. The United States is one of the organization’s main funders and a number of nations have made donations as the conflict in Syria has worsened.
Guterres said he commended Mikati on the government’s work with refugees and hoped to further cooperation with UNHCR over how to better aid the refugee community.
“Lebanon kept its borders open; Lebanon kept the doors of its houses open to their brothers and sisters coming from Syria. This is an example to the world,” Guterres said.
Despite a number of areas of cooperation the relationship between UNHCR and the government has been strained over a number of issues. The government has been slow to grant access to UNHCR officials to a number of high-population refugee areas. In Tripoli the government delayed setting up a refugee registration point for months.
Political leaders have resisted the idea of establishing refugee camps for the Syrians as Turkey and Jordan have done. Many refugees are staying with host families while other are housed in public buildings and shelters.
“We fully respect the Lebanese policy and we think that the best way to receive refugees is in the host communities,” Guterres said.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on September 13, 2012, on page 3.
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
Stephen Dockery
AFP called Angelina's dress during her #Lebanon visit a "ethereal beige abaya overgarment." // Not sure I'll go that far.
Al Arabiya
By AFP
Beirut
Film star and U.N. special envoy Angelina Jolie said on Wednesday
she was moved at how Lebanese families were opening their homes to
Syria refugees, after Beirut ruled out setting up camps for them.
“I was very moved today to meet again with the Syrian families. And to meet them here, not in a camp, but in homes where they are welcomed and protected,” the Oscar-winning star told reporters in Beirut.
“I know the Lebanese people themselves are dealing with their own problems, their own economy, so it is all the more meaningful that they are so generous and kind and I hope the world acknowledges that.”
“I was very moved today to meet again with the Syrian families. And to meet them here, not in a camp, but in homes where they are welcomed and protected,” the Oscar-winning star told reporters in Beirut.
“I know the Lebanese people themselves are dealing with their own problems, their own economy, so it is all the more meaningful that they are so generous and kind and I hope the world acknowledges that.”
The Lebanese government has ruled
out the possibility of establishing refugee camps amid fears that the
crisis in neighboring Syria could spill across its borders.
Areas of northern Lebanon where a large number of refugees have concentrated have come under shelling from Syria.
Jolie’s trip took her to the towns of Majdal Anjar and Bar Elias in the eastern Bekaa Valley, located on the border with strife-torn Syria.
“Camps are always the last alternative, so if the refugee issue can be accommodated without having to establish refugee camps, this is a very welcome development,” said Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.
“The assistance is coming. Shelter is a serious issue but there are plans to deal with it. If the numbers continue to grow, the plans will have to be revised.”
Jolie, herself a mother of six including three adopted children, recounted her visit to three Syrian women who had made the harrowing journey to Lebanon alone with their children.
“They were very, very emotional but so grateful and wanted me to express their gratitude to the Lebanese people,” said Jolie, who was wearing an ethereal beige abaya overgarment.
She also visited a Save the Children-sponsored school in Majdal Anjar -- less than 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Syrian border -- to visit young refugee children restarting their education after missing out for two years because of the conflict.
They “are now being reintegrated and are very happy to be back in school,” she said.
Asked if there was one thing she hoped to accomplish on her trip, she said: “Just to reach out to the families and spend time with them so they know they are in our hearts.”
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres accompanied Jolie and called for international support to help Syria’s smaller neighbor cope with the influx of refugees.
“Lebanon kept its borders open; the Lebanese kept their houses open and kept their hearts open to their brothers and sisters coming from Syria, and this is an example to the world,” Guterres said.
Lebanon currently hosts more than 66,000 registered Syrian refugees, while many more may be living in the country unregistered, Fleming said.
Jolie visited refugees in homestays, but Fleming noted that many more were staying in schools and other public buildings.
“Now that the school year is starting this has become an issue and we're proposing alternate sites for them, or to be able to give them cash so they are able to rent rooms or small apartments,” Fleming said, noting that vouchers could also ease the burden on host families and local economies.
“We have huge numbers of families who are hosting refugees for nothing, which in the long term is very unsustainable,” Fleming said.
According to the spokeswoman, “camps are not on the table” in Lebanon.
The U.N. says more than 1.2 million Syrians, more than half of them children, have been displaced inside the country while an estimated 250,000 refugees have sought shelter in neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq.
Areas of northern Lebanon where a large number of refugees have concentrated have come under shelling from Syria.
Jolie’s trip took her to the towns of Majdal Anjar and Bar Elias in the eastern Bekaa Valley, located on the border with strife-torn Syria.
“Camps are always the last alternative, so if the refugee issue can be accommodated without having to establish refugee camps, this is a very welcome development,” said Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.
“The assistance is coming. Shelter is a serious issue but there are plans to deal with it. If the numbers continue to grow, the plans will have to be revised.”
Jolie, herself a mother of six including three adopted children, recounted her visit to three Syrian women who had made the harrowing journey to Lebanon alone with their children.
“They were very, very emotional but so grateful and wanted me to express their gratitude to the Lebanese people,” said Jolie, who was wearing an ethereal beige abaya overgarment.
She also visited a Save the Children-sponsored school in Majdal Anjar -- less than 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Syrian border -- to visit young refugee children restarting their education after missing out for two years because of the conflict.
They “are now being reintegrated and are very happy to be back in school,” she said.
Asked if there was one thing she hoped to accomplish on her trip, she said: “Just to reach out to the families and spend time with them so they know they are in our hearts.”
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres accompanied Jolie and called for international support to help Syria’s smaller neighbor cope with the influx of refugees.
“Lebanon kept its borders open; the Lebanese kept their houses open and kept their hearts open to their brothers and sisters coming from Syria, and this is an example to the world,” Guterres said.
Lebanon currently hosts more than 66,000 registered Syrian refugees, while many more may be living in the country unregistered, Fleming said.
Jolie visited refugees in homestays, but Fleming noted that many more were staying in schools and other public buildings.
“Now that the school year is starting this has become an issue and we're proposing alternate sites for them, or to be able to give them cash so they are able to rent rooms or small apartments,” Fleming said, noting that vouchers could also ease the burden on host families and local economies.
“We have huge numbers of families who are hosting refugees for nothing, which in the long term is very unsustainable,” Fleming said.
According to the spokeswoman, “camps are not on the table” in Lebanon.
The U.N. says more than 1.2 million Syrians, more than half of them children, have been displaced inside the country while an estimated 250,000 refugees have sought shelter in neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq.
Stephen Dockery
Was at press conference with Angelina Jolie and UNHCR head at
Also want to see a generally civil press corps turn into an animal house? Add a celebrity.
Lack of funds threatens
Moe Swaid
Hanged out w/ her frds, shopped at Beirut Souks & had a dinner at Mandaloun RT @Srabians: What Angelina Jolie ... http://m.tmi.me/wO3ai
can't give extra info !
Published
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
US actress and UNHCR special
envoy Angelina Jolie arrives for a press conference following a meeting
with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres and Lebanese
Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut on September 12, 2012. The number
of refugees who have fled Syria has reached more than 250,000, the
United Nations said , calling the humanitarian problems sparked by the
conflict "our biggest crisis" (AFP)
Abbey Dawn Batch!
Proud Lebanese moment! Thank you Angelina Jolie for saying such good things about Lebanon and Lebanese people :') http://pic.twitter.com/W5FLvf8d
Awwww what Angelina Jolie said about Lebanon is so sweet! Thank you :') http://pic.twitter.com/srLhKjJl
Beiruting
U.N. refugee agency's special envoy actress Angelina Jolie arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday to visit the Syrians who fled the turmoil in their country.
Jolie expressed concern for the alarming humanitarian situation the Syrians are passing through.
The Hollywood star, accompanied by U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, held a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled the chaos as an uprising against President Bashar Assad has become increasingly violent.
The U.N. says more than 1.2 million Syrians, over half of them children, have become internally displaced in the country while an estimated 250,000 refugees sought shelter in neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. With around 40,000 refugee in Lebanon.
On Tuesday, Jolie visited a refugee camp in Jordan where she appealed to the world to "do everything they can to support these refugees" fleeing the escalating conflict in their country.
She is expected to arrive in Turkey on Thursday to visit Syrian refugee camps near the border with the conflict-ravaged country.
UNHCR says it has so far only received a little over $9 million in aid for a regional appeal it has made for the Syrian refugees.
The UNHCR in April promoted Jolie from serving as its goodwill ambassador to special envoy due to her exceptional work for the agency.
La GHIA
Hello Gorgeous @angelinajolie in #Lebanon . A sweetheart like Angelina is more than welcomed <3<3 Mnawra #Beirut http://pic.twitter.com/4JR4IrD6
Eli Abi Semaan
'Angelina Jolie' stunning in a 'Mariam Nour' dress during her visit today to #Lebanon :P http://pic.twitter.com/qxcjoyzS
beiruting
Actress Angelina Jolie is meeting with PM Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail Right Now !!!!!... http://fb.me/t2HMq9O1
Naharnet
VDL: Actress Angelina Jolie is meeting with PM Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail. http://www.naharnet.com/
Angie Nassar
She's speaking at Grand Serail at 1:30 RT @BlakeUcef: @RAGMAGLebanon is it true that Angelina Jolie is in Lebanon? @fidachaaban @Nada_Akl ?
Moe Swaid
Another photo of Angelina Jolie, visiting the Syrian Refugees in #Bekaa #Lebanon @joliefans http://lockerz.com/s/243626429
Ahmed Zidan
Angelina Jolie in #Lebanon to aid the Syrian refugees. This awkward moment in your life when you actually want to be a refugee.
Beirut.com
RT @FadyMansour: Everyone in #Lebanon wishes they were an orphan today. Angelina Jolie is visiting.
Moe Swaid
Angelina Jolie visiting the Syrian refugees in
Tim Fitzsimons
Angelina Jolie is in #Beirut.
my friends just met Angelina Jolie .... like WHAT who knew that she is in Lebanon :O
Fixer/Translator
Angelina Jolie will visit Syrian refugee camps tomorrow in Gaziantep province in southeastern Turkey
Angelina Jolie to visit Syrian refugee camps in Turkey tomorrow, Turkish Foreign Ministry says.
Jolie back to Turkey for refugees
Hollywood star and U.N. special envoy Angelina Jolie is expected to visit refugee camps in the southern Turkish province of Hatay tomorrow, sources closely involved with the issue told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday.
It is not yet clear whether Jolie will stay in Turkey for more than one day, or whether she will accompany U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) Antonio Guterres who will pay a two-day visit to Turkey over the course of tomorrow and Sept. 14. Jolie’s last visit to Turkey was in June 2011 to Hatay’s Altınözü district.
Jolie also visited the refugee camp in Jordan, which currently hosts about 30,000 Syrians displaced by the violence.
“I am very concerned, the world is very concerned,” The Associated Press quoted Jolie as saying during her high-profile visit, which aimed to focus international attention on the plight of Syrian refugees and to attract more funding to help them. “What is very heartbreaking is when Syrian people ask you why you think no one is able to find a solution for them.”
“What they described on the ground, hearing it from them is so horrific,” she said, adding that the children’s stories were especially moving. Guterres appealed to the international community to “help us and help the Jordanian government ... in order to be able to massively invest in improving the living conditions of refugees in this camp ... please help us.”
In Geneva, meanwhile, UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said the number of refugees who have fled Syria for neighboring countries since the start of the conflict nearly 18 months ago had reached more than 250,000.
“The latest figures show that more than a quarter of a million Syrian refugees (253,106 people) have now been registered in the surrounding region, or are awaiting registration,” Edwards said, according to Agence France-Presse.
September/12/2012
