KEY POINTS:
A group of Zimbabwean exiles in New Zealand wants the Government to give them military training so they can go back to fight the regime of President Robert Mugabe.
The group of four, all married men with children, say they have been in touch with other exiles around
the world who believe there is now no hope of toppling the regime peacefully since Opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of this weekend's presidential election run-off.
But both the Labour Government and the Opposition National Party dismissed the idea yesterday.
Defence Minister Phil Goff said: "New Zealand's position on Zimbabwe is that we support multilateral solutions to put pressure on what we regard as an illegitimate regime, not unilateral support of guerrilla action."
National shadow minister Wayne Mapp said his party also supported working through the Commonwealth and the United Nations rather than training Zimbabwean rebels.
One of the exiled group, who was involved in forming Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in 2000, said there were 3000 Zimbabweans in New Zealand, 3 million in South Africa, 1 million in Britain and another 1 million in the rest of the world.
"Are they all selfish cowards? No, I don't think so," he said.
"My suggestion to Zimbabweans in the diaspora is that we should unite and seek practical approaches.
" Talk and talk and talk over talks will not get us anywhere. Mugabe and his junta will continue inflicting violence upon those who beg to err because they know we are harmless and powerless.
"My suggestion is: let's approach our host governments for military training so that we can go back and fight for freedom.
"If I could get training, I would not take another minute to think about it. It has to be done. If that costs my life, then let it be."
The man, a 37-year-old father of two, said he had asked the New Zealand Army whether it could train Zimbabweans. "The person I talked to said if it's going to be done it's got to involve Government at the highest level."
Another member of the group, also an MDC member and a father of two young children, said he had spoken to other exiles around the world with the same idea.
"The governments might be reluctant when the world is calling for peace, but then we should push harder for the peace to be achieved without having to go to war.
"But if dialogue fails, a military intervention might be the only option. If everything else fails, the country has to organise themselves and take up guns and persuade the governments outside to give the exiles training."
However, Mandla-Akhe Dube, general secretary of another exile group, the Save Zimbabwe Campaign, urged the would-be fighters to "hold on a bit".
"We haven't exhausted the non-violent means yet," he said.
"There is still a prospect of a peacekeeping force by African nations. There is international support and will to support that initiative.
"If they don't do that, how many more million Zimbabweans will be on their doorstep beginning today or tomorrow?"
