Angelina Jolie trades her gowns in for flak-jacket and helmet to travel to Syria and Iraq as UN rep
By Gabriela Isabel Chavez
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 9/29/07 – Showing a level of commitment that goes beyond lip service, Angelina Jolie spent the weekend fund-raising with Brad Pitt in New York, then flew to Syria in her role of UN goodwill ambassador and on to Iraq to visit U.S. troops.
The 32-year-old actress traveled to Syria and Iraq on this week to address her agenda of exposing “the plight of those uprooted by the war in Iraq.” Jolie said “It is absolutely essential that the ongoing debate about Iraq’s future includes plans for addressing the enormous humanitarian consequences these people face.”
Jolie, who is a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), visited the troubled region to draw attention to the 4.2 million Iraqis that have suffered and have been displaced since the Iraq war began in 2003.
Upon traveling to the al-Waleed refugee camp, could hardly be recognized as a sex symbol. She was dressed in the latest UN powder-blue flak jacket, pants and a helmet. It was during this visit to the desert camp, lying between the Syrian-Iraqi border that Jolie spoke to some 1,200 refugees and witnessed firsthand the suffering these refugees undertake.
Palestinian residents of Iraq are not allowed to enter the country of Syria and thus are displaced and left stranded at the border. Iraqis, on the other hand, are granted access to come into and freely settle in Syria.
Jolie spent about two hours talking to the refugees and inspecting their living conditions. Although she made no promises she assured the refugees, “we will make an effort to resolve your situation.”
Angelina Jolie left Syria on Wednesday, heading back home, wrapping up a two-day visit of the camp as well as a visit to the U.S. troops in the area, all of which was held in secrecy and without any media coverage.
Last month the UNHCR joined with UNICEF to provide almost $130 million toward the education of displaced Iraqi children across the Middle East.
AFP contributed to this report
