Officials - Two Iraqi diplomats ordered to leave U.S.

UNITED NATIONS -- The United States has ordered two Iraqi diplomats to leave the country for engaging in activities outside their diplomatic status -- a usual reference to spying, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Wednesday.

Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Mohammed Al-Douri said the men were informed of the expulsion order Tuesday at 5 p.m. and given 72 hours to leave the United States.

The U.S. State Department also announced the expulsions in a statement issued in Washington.

"The United States has requested the departure of two attaches from the Iraq Mission to the United Nations. Nazih Abdul Latif Rahman and Yehia Naeem Suaoud have been asked to depart by midnight March 7," it said.

'Outside the scope'

"The two attaches were engaged in activities outside the scope of their official function. Federal law enforcement authorities deemed the activities to be harmful to our national security."

The men have the ranks of attaches but are not on the list of personnel accredited to the United Nations, Al-Douri said.

"They are the security personnel of the mission, the guards," the ambassador told The Associated Press. "They are living in the basement of the (Iraqi) mission."

Last month, the U.S. government expelled an Iraqi journalist who covered the United Nations for the official Iraqi News Agency, saying he was "harmful" to the security of the United States.

Mohammed Allawi, who reported from the United Nations for two years, was given 15 days to leave the country. He departed late last month with his family, including his five children.

A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity said Allawi "engaged in activities considered to be harmful to the security of the United States and those activities constitute an abuse of privilege of residence in this country."

Allawi denied engaging in any illegal activities.

Al-Douri has complained that U.S. officials have tried to get members of Iraq's U.N. Mission to defect.

Expelling selected Iraqis

The U.S. government has asked roughly 60 countries to expel selected Iraqis that American officials say are undercover intelligence officers, U.S. officials said Wednesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

It is feared that some of those Iraqis planned to carry out attacks in retaliation for any U.S. invasion of Iraq, the official said.

U.S. officials have identified about 300 people in those countries they want expelled. Some of them are operating as diplomats out of Iraqi embassies, the officials said. Officials said they expected the foreign governments to comply.

U.S. intelligence has received information that suggests Iraqi operatives will target American interests overseas, the officials said.

The U.S. government took similar steps during the 1990-1991 Gulf War.