Goff welcomes report on Zimbabwe

Phil Goff

A hard hitting United Nations (UN) report on Zimbabwe was today welcomed by Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff.

UN special envoy Anna Tibaijuka's report not only confirmed what critics of Robert Mugabe's regime said, it went even further, Mr Goff said.

The UN on Friday told Zimbabwe to halt its "inhumane" bulldozing of urban slums that had left 700,000 people homeless or jobless and affected 2.4 million others.
Ms Tibaijuka's sharply critical 100-page report demanded those responsible be punished and UN secretary general Kofi Annan had described the bulldozing as a "catastrophic injustice", Mr Goff said today.

"It is time for those in the international community who have not used their voices and pressure to force change from the Mugabe regime to do so."

New Zealand would continue active diplomacy with like-minded countries to press for action in Zimbabwe, Mr Goff said.

The New Zealand cricket team are due to start a tour of Zimbabwe early next month but the Government has refused to legislate to stop it, which would be the only way for the team to avoid heavy fines imposed by the International Cricket Council.

- NZPA