Germany's foreign ministry said on Sunday it had, after consulting German security officials, ordered the expulsion of a senior Libyan diplomat because of his allegiance to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The foreign ministry confirmed a report in the German news magazine Focus that it had declared Hisham al-Sharif 'persona non grata' and ordered him and his family to leave Germany.

Focus said that Gaddafi's government had designated Sharif as its charge d'affaires in Berlin on 22 July.

On Wednesday Britain expelled the entire staff of Libya's London embassy and asked Libyan rebels to provide representatives in London.