Libyan Ambassador to Zimbabwe Taher Elmagrahi and his embassy staff have been ordered to leave the country immediately after they defected to the NATO-backed National Transitional Council on Wednesday.

Zimbabwe's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Friday, saying that a lot of enquiries had been made to the ministry regarding the status of the Libyan Jamahiriya in Harare thereby making it necessary for the Ministry to clarify its status.

The ministry said the government of Zimbabwe had relations with the government of the Libyan Jamahiriya.

"It does not have such relations with the National Transitional Council (NTC). If the Ambassador of the Embassy of the Libyan Jamahiriya in Harare and his staff defect to the National Transitional Council, they will cease to have legal status in Zimbabwe and will be requested to leave the country immediately. Flying the flag of the National Transitional Council in Harare is an illegal act under the laws of Zimbabwe," read the statement.

Ambassador Elmagrahi defected to the rebels on Wednesday and hoisted the NTC flag at the Libyan Embassy in Harare. Elmagrahi wrote to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcing his defection on Wednesday. He then ordered the pulling down of the Libyan flag, replacing it with that of the rebels. He also witnessed the destruction of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's portraits by Libyans residents in Zimbabwe.

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