Zimbabwe boycott plea wins favour overseas

Britain and Australia have signalled they may support a New Zealand plan to ask the International Cricket Council to boycott Zimbabwe.

Foreign Minister Phil Goff said yesterday that he had spoken to British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and both had expressed interest in adding their voice to the ICC request.

Mr Goff said the two ministers felt it was important that steps were taken to emphasise to the ICC world opposition to Robert Mugabe's repressive regime, but both said they wanted to talk to their cricket councils before taking the idea further.

Mr Goff said he would meet Mr Downer in Australia next weekend for bilateral talks, during which they would discuss a possible tripartite approach to the ICC.

Mr Straw had told Mr Goff he was interested in a joint approach.

NZ Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden is in London for a meeting of the ICC, which says the Black Caps must fulfil their contractual obligation to tour Zimbabwe in August or pay millions of dollars in fines.

Zimbabwe's cricketers are supposed to tour here in December, but Mr Goff wants the team banned and has said the Government is likely to deny them entry.

Mr Snedden is not commenting on the probable ban until he returns to New Zealand early next month, but is expected to be under intense pressure to raise the issue of Zimbabwe at the ICC meeting.

Mr Goff hoped ICC members would recognise that the body could not turn a blind eye to fundamental human rights abuses, and would be flexible over the Black Caps.

He said Mr Mugabe's forced removal of 200,000 people from their homes was reminiscent of Cambodian dictator Pol Pot.

The Green Party applauded Mr Goff's latest efforts to stop the Black Caps going to Zimbabwe, but said they came too late.

Co-leader Rod Donald said the Government had ignored a call by the Greens in April to stop the tour.