Jul 2, 2005, 12:47 GMT
Sydney - New Zealand and Australia joined forces Saturday to pressure the International Cricket Council (ICC) to change its rules so that teams refusing to tour Zimbabwe because of President Robert Mugabe's human rights record do not incur punitive fines.
New Zealand cricket authorities have announced their team will play matches in Zimbabwe next month because failing to do so would result in massive ICC fines.
The foreign ministers of New Zealand and Australia, meeting in Australia's Gold Coast, agreed to lobby the ICC to change the rules so that fines are not levied on teams that forfeit matches.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff said: "No sporting team should have to go to a country in which the most gross human rights abuses are occurring and paying a penalty to that country and that regime."
Goff added: "The last month we've seen perhaps the most devastating actions taken by any government of any country in the world against its own people. The fact that a third of a million people have been made homeless by the regime designed not simply to clear slums as it's put up, but to punish, to exact retribution against those people who dared to speak out and vote against the Mugabe regime."
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer urged South Africa not to turn a blind eye to the evictions.
"We would like South Africa to take a real stance against Zimbabwe," Downer said. "South Africa is a glittering model of democracy in Africa and it will do South Africa's reputation great good in the world to be seen to stand up to President Mugabe's regime."
The two foreign ministers also agreed to work together to have Zimbabwe expelled from the International Monetary Fund. They would also propose to members of the United Nations Security Council that the actions of the Mugabe regime be referred to the International Criminal Court.
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