ALTINOZU, Turkey — UN envoy Angelina Jolie traveled to Turkey’s border with Syria yesterday, sharing fruit and dessert with some of the thousands of Syrian refugees — and getting a star’s welcome in return.
Turkish authorities hoisted a 45-foot-long banner near the entrance of the refugee camp to welcome Jolie. It read: “Goodness Angel of the World, Welcome” in English and Turkish.
One fan held a poster that read: “Angelina, kiss me for world peace.”
Hundreds of people, mostly women, climbed rooftops, crowded balconies and waited under scorching sun for hours to catch a glimpse of her.
The “Tomb Raider” star and goodwill ambassador for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees arrived in the Turkish province of Hatay on a private jet with boxes of toys.
Nearly 10,000 refugees have sought safety in camps in Turkey as Syrian security forces have been waging a ruthless crackdown on towns in the north of Syria, putting down a mutiny by troops earlier this week and exacting revenge on local residents.
Jolie spent 2½ hours with the refugees, asking how they were in Arabic and then speaking with them through an interpreter, Turkish television reported. NTV said she took notes, showing particular interest in the women and children.
Protests first erupted in Syria in mid-March as part of the Arab Spring push toward democracy. Syrian President Bashar Assad responded by unleashing the military to crush the street demonstrations. Human-rights activists say more than 1,400 Syrians have been killed and 10,000 detained.
Turkish television showed Jolie disembarking from the plane in sunglasses at Hatay airport. She then headed to a camp in the Turkish town of Altinozu.
An anti-Syria protest broke out at the camp hours before Jolie arrived in a gray van with tinted windows. Protesters waved Turkish and Syrian flags and held up banners that read: “Stop the killing of children and the destruction of mosques.”