Post by Carla on Oct 15, 2006 15:46:25 GMT
Source: BBC News
Actress Nicole Kidman is touring Kosovo as part of her new
role as a United Nations goodwill ambassador.
Kidman arrived in Pristina on Saturday and was cheered by
onlookers as she walked through the city to her hotel.
"I'm here to learn so that I can help your country at this crucial,
crucial time for the future," she said.
Kidman, 39, was appointed a goodwill ambassador for the UN's
development fund for women, Unifem, in January. The tour is her
first in that role.
She said she was in Kosovo to "meet people, hear their stories
and educate myself, and I suppose be a voice for you if you need
it".
On Sunday, she is expected to travel to the town of Djakovica,
which saw some 1,000 men go missing during the conflict which
hit the area in 1998 and 1999.
In international law, Kosovo remains a province of Serbia, but
has been administered by the United Nations since Serb forces
were ousted in 1999, forcing them to end a crackdown on ethnic
Albanians who demanded independence.
Unifem has run several projects studying the impact of the
conflict on women and their role in reconciliation.
Kosovo's future status is in the balance, with ethnic Albanians
wanting full independence for the province, while the Serbian
government wants to keep it under its control.