NZ under pressure on Zim tour

2005-04-11 12:47

Wellington - Pressure mounted on the New Zealand Cricket team on Monday to call off their August tour to Zimbabwe.

A Green Party lawmaker has written to New Zealand's 25 contracted international cricketers asking them to "look to their consciences" before taking part in the scheduled five-week tour.

"Ideally, the government and New Zealand Cricket would get together and call off the tour," party co-leader Rod Donald said. "However, the players now have the power to force the hands of the authorities."

Prime Minister Helen Clark added weight to boycott calls when she said her personal view was that the tour should not proceed.

Clark told a news conference at Parliament on Monday that New Zealand Cricket had touring obligations under International Cricket Rules and "they have to work these things through."

"I will support their decision but it really is a decision for them to make. The government doesn't tell them what to do," she said.

"I wouldn't be seen there," Clark said, adding that Zimbabwe had just had "a rigged election" which had produced an "unbelievable" result.

There was "no point" in New Zealand applying unilateral sporting sanctions against Zimbabwe as a way of preventing the team from touring there, she added.

Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe won a majority in elections held last month, although the legitimacy of the election results have been questioned by many world leaders.

- AP