AMMAN, Jordan, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The U.N High Commission for Refugees goodwill ambassador, actress Angelina Jolie, has visited Palestinian refugees stranded on the Iraqi-Jordanian border.
A statement issued by the UNHCR Thursday said Jolie, who was on a private visit to Jordan that ended Thursday, visited the camp in Ruweished, where more than 800 refugees, mostly Palestinians, have been stuck since fleeing the war in Iraq in April.
It said the Hollywood superstar "thanked Jordan for keeping its border open during and immediately after the war in Iraq."
The UNHCR also quoted her as commending the Jordanian government "for hosting the world's largest group of Palestinian refugees -- more than 1.7 million people -- for more than 50 years."
Jordan said it intended to shut down the Ruweished Camp before the end of the year.
The UNHCR has appealed to countries in the region and beyond to provide homes for the stranded refugees, saying it advised against their return to Iraq, where they had lived for decades. It said they had been forced to leave their homes by Iraqis after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime by the U.S. forces.
The statement quoted Jolie as saying she hoped that "Jordan will be able to continue its long-standing tradition of providing humanitarian sanctuary to those people who feel they need to leave Iraq."
