QUITO ? Actress Angelina Jolie visited refugees from the violence in Colombia Thursday and spoke of their plight with Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa, in her role as Goodwill Ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Jolie and Correa met for half-an-hour in Shushufindi, a city in the Amazon jungle near the border with Colombia that houses thousands of refugees from the neighboring country, the president's office said in a statement.

"We spoke about the refugees," Correa later told reporters after his meeting with Jolie. He said the UNHCR could count on Ecuador's assistance in coping with the influx of refugees.

Ecuador said 53,000 Colombians crossed the border into Ecuador up to May of this year, and about half have been granted refugee status. In 2008, 135,000 Colombians sought refuge in Ecuador, officials added.

During her visit to Ecuador, her second since 2002, Jolie on Thursday also met with refugee families in Lago Agrio and Barranca Bermeja, Correa's office said.

The United Nations is observing June 20 as World Refugee Day.