By IRNA,
London : Foreign Secretary William Hague announced Wednesday that the British government had taken step to expel five Libyan diplomats “to underline our grave concern at the regime’s behaviour.”
The belated expulsions, which include Libya’s military attache in London, comes after Britain removed its staff and temporarily closed its embassy in Tripoli at the end of last month, although diplomatic relations have not been cut.
Announcing the decision in parliament, Hague said that his government also judged that the five diplomats could “pose a threat to our security” if they remained in Britain.
“We also remain strongly committed to supporting the International Criminal Court in its investigations into crimes in Libya and ensuring there is no impunity for barbaric acts against the Libyan people,” he said without specifying if any of the diplomats were among those liable for prosecution.
The announcement comes a day after Hague and Prime Minister David Cameron held talks with the Benghazi-based interim transitional national council on the sidelines of Tuesday’s London conference on the future of Libya.