Mr Kennedy - the first Western musician to go to Yugoslavia since the Kosovo war - will appear with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra on Sunday.

"I think it can help reconciliation, and hopes and aspirations," he said after Saturday's rehearsals.

"I mean obviously I'm not that egocentric to think that music that I make is going to enhance everyone's life standard in any way whatsoever, except as a friendship gesture, and by playing the music of great composers (so) the visions of these composers can maybe give people a little bit more optimism."

Mr Kennedy has played a benefit concert for Kosovar refugees

He will not be accepting a fee for the performance at the city's Sava arts centre, describing his visit as a "non-political" gesture of support to the orchestra, with whom he last performed in December 1997.

The musician travelled to Belgrade at his own expense, flying from Zurich because civilian flights to Belgrade have yet to resume from Britain.

Last week he took part in the Unicef benefit event for Kosovar refugees in London.

Belgrade is on the international concert circuit, and he performed his Hendrix arrangements, Bach and Bartok there in May last year.

He denied the concert could be hijacked by the Yugoslav authorities for propaganda purposes - and he said he did not care that some of his friends had criticised him for the trip.

Rehearsing through the bombing

"If one's going to go by fashion then my musical career would have taken a totally different direction than it has," he said.

"I've never been dictated by fashion of belief, in fact I hate politically correct thought and I think it's important to relate to people as people."

The orchestra rehearsed without a halt throughout the 11 weeks of Nato bombing, and guest conductor Bojan Sudjic praised the young musicians for their dedication.

"We prepared when we were without water, without lights, when the sirens were ringing as a background intonation," he said.