A/RES/57/9 of the considerations contained in paragraph 6 of the report of the Director General 8 and the independent technical judgement, stated since 1999 by the Director General, that the work required would take three to four years, assuming full cooperation by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; 12. Also commends the Director General of the Agency and his staff for their strenuous efforts to implement all the relevant Security Council resolutions relating to Iraq, calls upon Iraq to implement in full and without further delay all relevant Security Council resolutions, and in this regard to cooperate fully with the Agency and to provide immediate, unconditional, and unrestricted access to enable it to carry out its mandate, and stresses that, upon its return to Iraq, the Agency must resolve the key issue of whether Iraq’s nuclear activities and capabilities have changed since December 1998; 13. Welcomes the entry into force on 24 October 1996 of the Convention on Nuclear Safety, 9 appeals to all States, particularly those operating, constructing, or planning nuclear power reactors, which have not yet taken the necessary steps to become parties to the Convention to do so, and notes with satisfaction the report of the second Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention, particularly the conclusion that significant progress had been made since the first review meeting in the areas of legislation, regulatory independence, financial resources for regulators and operators, implementation of safety improvements in installations built to earlier standards, and emergency preparedness; 14. Notes with satisfaction that the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management 10 entered into force on 18 June 2001, and appeals to all States which have not yet taken the necessary steps to become parties to it to do so in time to attend the first review meeting of the contracting parties due to be held in November 2003; 15. Recalls resolution GC(46)/RES/9B on transport safety, urges States to participate in the 2003 International Conference on the Safety of Transport of Radioactive Material, with a view to addressing in a comprehensive way and following up as necessary all issues contained in the agreed conference programme, recalls maritime, river and air navigation rights and freedoms, as provided for in international law and as reflected in relevant international instruments, recalls that, under international law, States have the obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment, urges States to ensure that their national regulatory documents governing the transport of radioactive materials are in conformity with the latest edition of Agency transport regulations, encourages member States to avail themselves of the Transport Safety Appraisal Service, with a view to achieving the highest levels of safety during the transport of radioactive materials, welcomes the practice of some shipping States and operators of providing in a timely manner information and responses to relevant coastal States in advance of shipments for the purpose of addressing concerns regarding safety and security, including emergency preparedness, and invites others to do so, in order to improve mutual understanding and confidence regarding shipments of radioactive materials, noting that the information and responses provided should in no case be contradictory to the measures of physical protection and safety, emphasizes the importance of maintaining dialogue and consultation aimed at improving mutual understanding, _______________ 9 International Atomic Energy Agency, INFCIRC/449. International Atomic Energy Agency, INFCIRC/546. 10 6