March 23, 2003	Sunday	Muharram 19, 1424

WASHINGTON, March 22: The United States has expelled three Iraqi diplomats from Washington as part of its effort to isolate Iraq diplomatically, officials said on Saturday.

On Wednesday, the State Department declared them persona non-grata, and had asked them to leave the country within 48 hours along with their families.

Iraq had three diplomats in Washington who staffed an Iraqi interests section at the Algerian Embassy.

Technically, the Iraqis are accredited as Algerian diplomats, because Baghdad has not had an embassy in the US capital since relations were broken off in the run up to the last Gulf War in 1991. Iraq continues to maintain a full diplomatic mission at the United Nations in New York, which is not affected by the diplomatic break.

A State Department spokesman, Lou Fintor said he could not say where the Iraqi diplomats would go. Normally when diplomats are expelled they are expected to return to their country.

However, because of the war it would be difficult for the ousted Iraqi diplomats and their families to return home. They can, however, go to Algeria, which will be considered a host country because the Iraqi interest section is located at the Algerian Embassy.

The diplomats could also seek asylum in a third country.

On Thursday, the United States urged 67 other governments to sever their diplomatic ties with Iraq and to expel Iraqi ambassadors.

The decision to close the Iraqi interest section in Washington and to urge other governments to close Iraqi embassies was taken on Wednesday night after the US military action against Iraq began.

Fintor said that so far only Australia and Romania have “indicated their concurrence with our recommendation.”

A large number of countries have rejected the US request.

Most Muslim countries, including Pakistan, have informed Washington that suspending Iraqi embassies or expelling Iraqi ambassadors would further enrage their people already opposed to the war.

Russia and France, outspoken war opponents, also said they would not go along. Paris said it was up to individual nations to decide what countries to have relations with.

Several other European countries — including the Netherlands, which is part of Washington’s “coalition of the willing” — also turned down the request.