COPENHAGEN - Two remaining Libyan diplomats serving in Denmark would be sent home to Libya within the next five days, the Danish foreign minister has said.

"The two remaining diplomats are declared persona non grata," said Lene Espersen in comments to Denmark's Politiken newspaper published on Wednesday.

The two diplomats are named as Vice-Consul Saleh Omar Abu Rwesha and Economic Affairs Attache Khaled Mansour Salem el-Asfar.

They received their marching orders at a meeting of Denmark's Foreign Ministry's protocol division Monday night, Espersen said.

The Danish government's initial hope was that the two diplomats concerned would switch loyalties to Libya's Transitional National Council, which Denmark now recognises as the legitimate authority in Libya, instead of the government led by Muammar Gaddafi.

On May 27, Denmark expelled Libya's Consul-General Muner Eldawani who had openly declared his loyalty to Gaddafi.

But the two other diplomats had initially been allowed to stay, and have not made any public statements about where their allegiance lies.

"They have decided to remain as diplomats chosen by Gaddafi. Therefore, we have decided to say that they must leave the country, " Espersen explained.

She said that the marching orders would not come as a surprise to the diplomats, who now have five days to pack up and leave.

Libya has been embroiled in a civil-war like situation since February, which has pitted the forces of Gaddafi, headquartered in the country's capital Tripoli in western Libya, against a broad coalition of rebel forces who have their stronghold in Benghazi, the country's second-city, in the east.

Since March, a UN mandate has permitted a NATO-led coalition, including military aircraft from Denmark, to enforce a no-fly zone over the embattled country.