10 February 2006

Greens meet Zimbabwe opposition representative

A high profile member of the Zimbabwe Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Mrs Sekai Holland, met with Green Party Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Keith Locke in Wellington today. Mrs Holland is a national executive member of the MDC, which is the major opposition party to the rule of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.

Mrs Holland also visited the Hon Jim Sutton, Minister of State, and is meeting representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and development and human rights NGOs this afternoon.

"Mrs Holland was appreciative of the actions that the New Zealand Government and Green Party have taken to isolate the Mugabe regime. She also asked that New Zealand support calls for the International Criminal Court to prosecute President Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe Government officials for crimes against humanity such as the bulldozing of thousands of homes," Mr Locke says.

"The ICC can initiate an investigation on two grounds - if the state concerned has ratified the Rome Statute or if the United Nations Security Council refers it. Zimbabwe has signed the statute but has not ratified it. Therefore we need the UN Security Council to order an inquiry into Zimbabwe. The New Zealand Government should be actively lobbying for this to happen," Mr Locke says.

Mrs Holland is available for media interviews in Wellington on Friday 10 February between 2.00pm and 3.30pm, and in Auckland on Saturday and Sunday.

ENDS

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