Kidman is expected to spend two days in the troubled province

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.