Cameron Diaz (with handbag slung over shoulder) walks on streets of Cuzco, 19 Jun 2007

Cameron Diaz said she was sorry for carrying a Maoist handbag in Peru.

The actress issued a June 24 apology for visiting the ancient Incan city of Machu Pichu carrying an olive green bag emblazoned with a red star and the slogan "Serve The People" in Chinese. It was perhaps the most famous slogan of Communist leader Mao Zedong. Marketed as fashion accessories elsewhere, the bags evoke painful memories in Peru of the Maoist Shining Path insurgency movement.

It fought a bloody conflict with the government in the 1980s and 1990s, leaving nearly 70,000 people dead. "I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have inadvertently offended. The bag was a purchase I made as a tourist in China and I did not realize the potentially hurtful nature of the slogan printed on it," Diaz said in a statement e-mailed to the Associated Press.

The voice of Princess Fiona in the "Shrek" movies said she was participating in "4 REAL," a Canadian television show focusing on young leaders around the world.

"I'm sorry for any people's pain and suffering and it was certainly never my intention to reopen what I now know is a painful wound in this country's history," she said. Diaz also praised Peruvians' beauty and warmth and said she wished "for their continued healing."