Text Only
Search

 
Actress Angelina Jolie Visits Iraq


29 August 2007

Angelina Jolie, left, talks to wheelchair-bound woman, at makeshift Al Waleed refugee camp, 29 Aug 2007
Angelina Jolie, left, talks to wheelchair-bound woman, at makeshift Al Waleed refugee camp, 29 Aug 2007
Angelina Jolie visited Iraq on August 28 to meet with refugees and U.S. troops.

Jolie - a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - made the visit during a two-day trip to the region, according to an agency statement.

It said the 32-year-old actress met August 27 with displaced Iraqis in neighboring Syria before briefly crossing into Iraq "to see firsthand the plight of hundreds of thousands of families uprooted by the ongoing conflict."

The Geneva-based agency quoted Jolie as saying "I have come to Syria and Iraq to help draw attention to this humanitarian crisis and to urge governments to increase their support for UNHCR and its partners."

Jolie traveled to the Al-Waleed refugee camp on the Iraqi side of the border, where she spoke to some of the 1,200 Iraqis living there. She then visited a contingent of U-S troops in the area. Angelina Jolie has worked with UNHCR since 2001.

In May, a foundation she established along with her partner, actor Brad Pitt, donated $1 million to help those affected by the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region and neighboring Chad.

Last month UNHCR and UNICEF launched an appeal for nearly $130 million to help educate displaced Iraqi children across the Middle East. The U-S said on August 28 it would contribute $30 million to the appeal.

emailme.gif E-mail This Article
printerfriendly.gif Print Version

  Top Story
Republicans Gain in US State Elections

  More Stories
US House Overwhelmingly Passes Resolution Critical of UN Report on Gaza  Audio Clip Available
Afghanistan's Karzai Intends to Create Unity Government
Obama, EU Push for Climate Deal  Audio Clip Available
President Obama Still to Decide Whether to Send More US Troops to Afghanistan  Video clip available
Clinton Says Washington Following Through on Obama Cairo Promises  Audio Clip Available
Debate Still Rages Over Who Won the Cold War  Audio Clip Available
Merkel Meets With Obama, Addresses Congress   Audio Clip Available
Germany's Merkel Presses US Lawmakers for Climate Change Action  Video clip available
UN Chief:  Climate Treaty in Copenhagen Unlikely
World War II 'Lost Battalion' Veterans Reunite  Audio Clip Available
Iran's Supreme Leader Throws Cold Water on Nuclear Negotiations  Audio Clip Available
Former Iran Hostages Recall US Embassy Takeover 30 Years Ago  Video clip available
Clinton to Ask Egypt for Help; Can Cairo Deliver?  Audio Clip Available
Palestinian Farmers in Olive Oil Boom  Video clip available
Afghan Electoral Outcome Presents Both Problems, Opportunity for US
Zimbabwe Diamond Trade Under Spotlight  Audio Clip Available
N. Korea Announces More Production of Nuclear Weapons Material  Audio Clip Available
War Crimes Suspect Karadzic Demands More Time to Prepare Defense
Czech Court Clears Way for President to Sign New EU Treaty  Audio Clip Available
Hungarians Have Mixed Feelings About Collapse of Communism  Audio Clip Available  Video clip available
Sri Lanka Objects to US Plan to Interview Army Chief  Audio Clip Available