“Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie Visit Iraqi Refugees In Syria - Starpulse.com” plus 4 more

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• Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie Visit Iraqi Refugees In Syria - Starpulse.com
• Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie Visit Iraqi Refugees In Syria - Starpulse.com
• Angelina And Brad In Syria To Shine Light On Iraqi Refugees - Huffingtonpost.com
• PHOTO: Brad and Angelina Take the Twins for Ice Cream! - People
• UN Goodwill Ambassador Jolie spotlights plight of Iraqi refugees - UN News Centre

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie Visit Iraqi Refugees In Syria - Starpulse.com Posted: 03 Oct 2009 09:53 AM PDT Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie took a low-key trip to Damascus in Syria on Friday to meet Iraqi refugees. Jolie, a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency, visited two families who had to pay for their freedom after members had become kidnap victims of former leader Saddam Hussein. One woman the couple met had been kidnapped alongside her son and assaulted. She was eventually released after her family paid a $40,000 ransom. After hearing the woman's traumatic story, the actress told her, "I'm grateful to you for sharing this story. It helps to make it easier to understand your problems. There's a lot of suffering in this part of the world; you're a very brave and strong woman for putting this behind you for the sake of your children." According to Us Weekly, Pitt and Jolie also met Syria's leader President Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma al-Assad. Following the high-powered meeting, Jolie stated, "It is clear that the Syrian people, no matter the challenges or difficulties they may face, have always shown generous hospitality to people in need. I hope that the rest of the world recognises that we all have to share this burden and continue to take care of Iraqi refugees." - Click here for more Angelina Jolie pictures - Image © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos (This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie Visit Iraqi Refugees In Syria - Starpulse.com Posted: 03 Oct 2009 09:53 AM PDT Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie took a low-key trip to Damascus in Syria on Friday to meet Iraqi refugees. Jolie, a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency, visited two families who had to pay for their freedom after members had become kidnap victims of former leader Saddam Hussein. One woman the couple met had been kidnapped alongside her son and assaulted. She was eventually released after her family paid a $40,000 ransom. After hearing the woman's traumatic story, the actress told her, "I'm grateful to you for sharing this story. It helps to make it easier to understand your problems. There's a lot of suffering in this part of the world; you're a very brave and strong woman for putting this behind you for the sake of your children." According to Us Weekly, Pitt and Jolie also met Syria's leader President Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma al-Assad. Following the high-powered meeting, Jolie stated, "It is clear that the Syrian people, no matter the challenges or difficulties they may face, have always shown generous hospitality to people in need. I hope that the rest of the world recognises that we all have to share this burden and continue to take care of Iraqi refugees." - Click here for more Angelina Jolie pictures - Image © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos (This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Angelina And Brad In Syria To Shine Light On Iraqi Refugees - Huffingtonpost.com Posted: 03 Oct 2009 08:20 AM PDT DAMASCUS, Syria — Angelina Jolie met with Iraqi refugees in Syria on Friday and urged the world not to forget the plight of those among them who cannot return home because of the trauma they suffered and the country's instability. Jolie visited Syria in her role as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR, and was accompanied by her partner, Brad Pitt, the agency said. Tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees have returned home from Syria and other neighboring countries over the past year, but many more are unable or unwilling to return to a country still shaken by violence. "Most Iraqi refugees cannot return to Iraq in view of the severe trauma they experienced there, the uncertainty linked to the coming Iraqi elections, the security issues and the lack of basic services," a UNHCR statement quoted Jolie as saying. "They will, therefore, be in need of continued support from the international community." She was referring to Iraqi parliamentary elections scheduled for Jan. 16. It was the Academy Award-winning actress' second visit to Syria in two years. On Friday, she visited Damascus' poorest suburbs where she was welcomed by two Iraqi families. She also discussed the Iraqi refugee crisis with Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife, Asma, UNHCR said. UNHCR estimates that more than 4.2 million Iraqis have left their homes since the beginning of the conflict in 2003. To date, 215,000 Iraqi refugees are registered with UNHCR in Syria, the majority of whom are dependent on food and other material support. The actress has worked with UNHCR since early 2001. In 2007, a foundation set up by Jolie and Pitt donated $1 million to help those affected by the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region and neighboring Chad. Jolie has visited Iraq three times. Her last trip was in July, when she visited a settlement for displaced Iraqis in northwest Baghdad. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

PHOTO: Brad and Angelina Take the Twins for Ice Cream! - People Posted: 03 Oct 2009 08:27 AM PDT Post to: This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

UN Goodwill Ambassador Jolie spotlights plight of Iraqi refugees - UN News Centre Posted: 03 Oct 2009 09:53 AM PDT The award-winning actress and United Nations goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie has urged the international community to not forget the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees who remain unwilling to return to their homeland despite the relative decrease in violence in that country over the past year. Visiting Iraqi refugees living in Damascus, the capital of neighbouring Syria, Ms. Jolie said yesterday that it was clear that many people will not be returning home for some time and will need continued support. "Most Iraqi refugees cannot return to Iraq in view of the severe trauma they experienced there, the uncertainty linked to the coming Iraqi elections, the security issues and the lack of basic services," she said. An estimated 4.2 million Iraqis have left their homes since the start of conflict in 2003, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and currently 215,000 of them are registered with the agency in Syria. Ms. Jolie, a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR since 2001, was making her second trip to Syria with the agency to spotlight the situation facing Iraqis who have fled their country. With her partner, the actor Brad Pitt, Ms. Jolie was welcomed into the Damascus homes of several Iraqi families, and heard harrowing tales of their suffering back in Iraq and their struggles to escape from their homeland with their lives. Many of the refugees exhausted their savings a long time ago and now depend on humanitarian agencies such as UNHCR, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or the Syrian Government for basics such as bedding and food. Ms. Jolie said that "until other solutions are found, or these refugees are able to go home, it is essential that the international community help UNHCR to provide financial and food support so that they can survive." The Goodwill Ambassador also met yesterday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma and she said later that "it is clear that the Syrian people, no matter the challenges or difficulties they may face, have always shown generous hospitality to people in need." This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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