(PRISTINA) - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana arrived Tuesday in Kosovo, an airport official told AFP, becoming the first leading international figure to visit since it proclaimed independence from Serbia.

Solana, the European Union's high representative for foreign and security policy, immediately made his way into Kosovo's capital Pristina for talks with President Fatmir Sedjiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

His visit comes two days after Kosovo declared independence in a unilateral move that was accepted by the United States and most EU member states, but fiercely rejected by Serbia and its principal international ally Russia.

The visit is "a clear message of Europe's engagement" as the European Union prepares to deploy a 2,000-strong police and justice mission to promote stability in Kosovo, said Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach in Brussels.

Solana would stress during his visit the importance of stability in the western Balkans as a whole and the need for the Kosovo leaders "to work in coordination with the international community", she told AFP.

He will also repeat his appeal for "calm and responsible behaviour" which he issued straight after the declaration of independence in Pristina.

As Solana headed to Pristina, groups of angry Serbs set fire to two crossing points on the Kosovo-Serbia border, prompting the first intervention by NATO peacekeepers since the independence declaration.

Solana was accompanied on his trip by French General Yves de Kermabon and Pieter Feith, from the Netherlands, who will respectively head the police and justice arms of the EU mission.

The mission was officially launched on Saturday and will be fully operational after a 120-day period to train and mentor police, judges and customs officials.

"We are convinced that we can develop a substantial programme of support so that Kosovo can become a country in line with international norms," said Gallach.

Solana's visit, expected to last just a few hours, comes after most of the 27 EU member states announced Monday that they intend to recognise Kosovo.

Text and Picture Copyright 2008 AFP. All other Copyright 2008 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.