Denmark Considers Libya’s Envoy ‘Persona Non Grata’

Denmark said Friday that it has given Libya's consul general five days to leave the country, declaring him unwelcome after he repeatedly voiced support for Moammar Gadhafi's recent conduct.

"I can confirm that we have told Libya's consul in Denmark that he is no longer wanted in the country and that he is persona non grata," Foreign Minister Lene Espersen told Agence France Presse.

Munir Eldawadi, posted in Demark since 2008, was also "notified that he has five days left to leave the country," for having publicly supported "several times the behavior of the Gadhafi regime."

Leaders of the G8 nations currently meeting in the French resort town of Deauville are working on draft of a resolution that declares Gadhafi has "lost all legitimacy" to lead Libya.

The international community has repeatedly demanded that the embattled strongman stop all forms of violence directed at civilians.

Denmark's expulsion sends "a clear signal to Gadhafi that (...) the behavior of his regime has consequences for our relations," Espersen insisted.

Espersen noted that Denmark was following other countries that have declared "pro-Gadhafi diplomats undesirable," including Britain, France and Sweden.

This is the first time Denmark has expelled foreign diplomatic staff from the country since 1976, when a group of employees at North Korea's embassy in Copenhagen were thrown out for trafficking in contraband.

The North Koreans were discovered selling hashish, as well as duty-free alcohol and cigarettes within Denmark.

Espersen said the expulsion does not indicate a total severing of diplomatic relations with the Libyan regime.