The Supervisor of Brcko, Ambassador Gary Matthews, issued yesterday, 16 November 2000, an Order on the Arizona Market, following the decision by OHR, OSCE, UNMiBH and SFOR to tackle the problems associated with this market, articulated in the joint statement dated 26 October 2000.
The Supervisory Order includes three sets of measures:
- Establishes a mechanism for licensing all businesses operating in the market in order to ensure that all commercial activities are properly regulated by the Brcko District Government.
- Regulates and limits the working hours of the market, to ensure appropriate safety standards for legitimate commercial activities.
- Instructs the Mayor of Brcko to establish a Task Force, comprising members of the Brcko District Government and the Brcko District Police, to coordinate the measures necessary for the implementation of the Order. The Task Force is also instructed to prepare and overall plan for the regulation and relocation of the Arizona Market, to be submitted to the Supervisor for approval.
Ambassador Matthews has also given strict instructions to the Brcko District Police to enforce existing legislation in order to combat illegal activities at the Arizona Market, such as prostitution, illegal immigration and smuggling of goods.
The Supervisory Order was sent last evening to the relevant authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republika Srpska and the Brcko District.