SOME months ago, Australian Prime Minister John Howard decided to withdraw the national cricket team from a tournament in Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, his decision was not replicated by other nations.

More recently, there has been greater media attention paid to Zimbabwe, the criminal acts of Robert Mugabe evidenced in the faces of anguish and helplessness by many who live there.

Zimbabwe is among countries with dictators who need calling to account and where economic sanctions do little to stem the ferocity of their regimes.

Whether a cricket tournament ban has any effect remains to be seen, but anything highlighting the plight of a country's people cannot be bad.

However, something more rigorous is needed. But in Zimbabwe's case, we have a dilemma. To isolate the country means depriving those who depend on Western influence of opportunities to challenge Mugabe, but allowing him access to such events as the Commonwealth Conference does nothing to resolve the problem.

The United Nations needs to act.

If sanctions are to work, they need to address the problem. The only problem sanctions are causing at present is the continued starvation and oppression of ordinary people.

Bernie Walsh, Coxhoe, Durham.