Cricket: Mbeki attacks New Zealand, England over Zimbabwe stance

10.30am

JOHANNESBURG - South African President Thabo Mbeki has attacked England and New Zealand for seeking to move their cricket World Cup matches from Zimbabwe and Kenya on political or security grounds.

"These governments have raised questions about security questions...To the best of our knowledge, these governments have provided no information to the ICC indicating that the security of the players is threatened," Mbeki said in a weekly letter to members of his ruling African National Congress (ANC).

New Zealand have refused to play in Kenya, citing security.

England, after months of wrangling between players, officials and politicians, lost an appeal on Friday to have their match against Zimbabwe moved to main tournament hosts South Africa because of the political and social unrest in Zimbabwe.

They will decide today whether to play the February 13 fixture in Harare.

Mbeki particularly rounded on Britain and Australia, which he said had recently issued "travel alerts" to their citizens, warning of imminent terrorist attacks in South Africa.

"We found it difficult to explain these goings-on because they indicated hostility or a negative attitude towards our country, for which we could not find any basis," he said.

"Given what has now happened with regard to Zimbabwe and Kenya, it may very well be that the false 'travel alerts' about South Africa were intended to convey a global message of general African insecurity, to prepare for the campaign against Zimbabwe and Kenya, and therefore the African-hosted Cricket World Cup."

Neither British nor Australian government officials were immediately available for comment.

Mbeki noted that India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which have had military conflict in their countries and will be playing in Kenya or Zimbabwe, had not raised security issues.

"With regard to Zimbabwe, political questions have also been raised. These are an integral part of an international political campaign being waged by the same governments against the government of Zimbabwe," Mbeki added.

Mbeki said as principal hosts, South Africa had resisted the temptation to join the wrangle. He said it was provoked by the three countries, whose aim, he believed, was to focus on the legitimacy of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and his government.

He said it was unfortunate the World Cup was being politicised, and suggested that Britain, New Zealand and Australia applied double standards in dealing with critical political questions such as Zimbabwe.

"No sports sanctions have been imposed on Zimbabwe by anybody. Only last year, the Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, in the United Kingdom. Zimbabwe athletes participated in these games," he said.

"The UK, Australia and New Zealand, whose athletes competed in these games, did not call for the exclusion of Zimbabwe. And yet, now that we have a tournament held in Africa, an attempt is made to impose a sports boycott against Zimbabwe," he said.

The government of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, which is at loggerheads with Mugabe over his controversial land redistribution of white-owned farms to blacks and a 2002 election the West believes Mugabe stole, had urged its players not to go to Zimbabwe.

- REUTERS