Angelina Jolie and Arminka Helić: Syrians Fleeing Rape and Massacres

American actress and human rights activist Angelina Jolie and member of the British Parliament's House of Lords Arminka Helić, who was a refugee from the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, have advocated for thousands of refugees coming to Europe from the Middle East and Africa, calling on authorities to distinguish between those fleeing extreme poverty and those fleeing war, reports the Patria News Agency.

-We should be aware of the difference between economic migrants, who want to escape extreme poverty, and refugees, who are fleeing a direct threat to their lives, they wrote in an editorial for the British The Times.

-Syrians are fleeing bombs, chemical weapons, rape, and massacres, the authors warn.

Finding a Solution to Conflicts

They emphasize that the problem will persist as long as the international community does not find a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Syria.

"We cannot solve the crisis by donating, nor by simply accepting refugees," stated Jolie and Helić.

Criticizing the world's failure to resolve conflicts, the two conclude that nothing speaks more about the state of the world than people crossing borders.

Austria and Germany, which expects to receive 800,000 refugees by the end of the year, have opened their borders in recent days to thousands of refugees, mostly Syrians, held for days in Hungary, writes balkans.aljazeera.net.