Jolie Finishes 2002 with Favorite Role

By Stephen M. Silverman

Tuesday December 31, 2002 01:00 PM EST

Angelina Jolie helped bring 2002 to a close with her favorite role -- that as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The "Girl, Interrupted" Oscar winner, 27, spent Monday in Kosovo, visiting the war-torn area's minority community, accompanied by peacekeepers and local leaders, the Associated Press reports.

"People think that when a war is over, everything goes back to normal. But in Kosovo, the security situation remains questionable for minorities," Jolie, admitting she was troubled by what she had witnessed, told reporters at the conclusion of her three-day visit.

Her visit included inspections of Kosovo's capital, Pristina, and the ethnically divided town of Kosovska Mitrovica. She said she intends to return to the area in the spring.

Last October, Jolie (who this year filed for divorce from actor Billy Bob Thornton after a two-year marriage) said much of her humanitarian work is done on behalf of building a better and safer world for her adopted 1-year-old Cambodian son, Maddox.

She also said that, through her U.N. position, she better understands what parents in all troubled areas must feel.