KEY POINTS:
The Government should help New Zealand cricket handle any financial fallout from an abandoned tour to Zimbabwe, the Labour Party says.
Labour foreign affairs spokeswoman Helen Clark said yesterday that she agreed with calls to boycott a planned tour in the strife-torn nation in July.
But she drew the line at banning players from going.
She said her Government had made it clear to NZ Cricket that it didn't want the team touring in Zimbabwe, but going to the extreme of taking passports was a "slippery slope".
She said any financial penalties imposed by the International Cricket Council on NZC over a tour cancellation tour would depend on how the decision was arrived at, but the Government would have to assist financially if required.
Prime Minister John Key appears determined to prevent the tour.
He said Zimbabwe's political regime was not acceptable, but there were other reasons not to go.
"In my view there are a number of security risks. There are security risks for our players, there is the risk of cholera and we don't support that regime, and we've made that quite clear," he told TV3's Sunrise show.
Labour leader Phil Goff said the corruption and brutality under Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was the crux of his party's stance, and there were also disease and security issues to consider. Mr Goff said it was a matter of wait and see regarding a new power-sharing deal brokered between Mr Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai last week.
"We suspect that it may not achieve what the international community wants from it," he said.
He agreed the Government needed to step in and assist if NZC flagged the tour and was penalised financially.
Helen Clark gave less weight to the argument about the tour party being exposed to the cholera epidemic.
"That wouldn't normally affect Western visitors staying in the best accommodation available."
But there were worrying signs the brutal regime was still in full swing, she said.
NZC has said it wants to meet the Government to work through the issues.
- NZPA
