Australia is likely to join New Zealand and Britain in a call to ban Zimbabwe from international cricket because of human rights abuses by the Harare government, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Tuesday.
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has ordered the razing of thousands of supposedly illegal homes and businesses, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
Australia is not scheduled to play cricket this year in Zimbabwe. New Zealand, scheduled to tour the Southern African country in August, has called for an international cricket boycott.
”Given the level of human rights abuses that are now taking place in Zimbabwe, it’s not appropriate for cricket matches to be played against Zimbabwe,” Downer told Australian broadcaster ABC.
”But before we make any approach to the International Cricket Council, as a government we’ll be consulting with the Australian Cricket Board.”
The foreign minister added: ”After consulting with the Australian Cricket Board, we will make a decision about whether we will join with the British and the New Zealanders to lobby the International Cricket Council to stop cricket matches against Zimbabwe for the time being.” – Sapa-DPA