17/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - In a joint statement published at the end of their meeting in Athens on Thursday, the President of the European Council, Costas Simitis and NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson made special reference to the crisis in Iraq, stressing the need for the UN inspectors for disarmament to continue their work without obstacles. The Greek Prime Minister also discussed the situation in Iraq (also see yesterday's EUROPE p.8) with the High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, who had just met the head of the UN inspectors, Hans Blix. On the occasion of his visit to Athens, Javier Solana had talks with Council President Georges Papandreou on preparing the General Affairs-External Relations Council of 27 January, there too broaching the situation in Iraq, as well as that in the Balkans, the Middle East and Cyprus. Javier Solana, who discussed developments of the ESDP with Defence Minister Yanos Papantoniou (also see age 6), also had talks with Alvaro de Soto, Kofi Annan's Special Representative for Cyprus