US orders expulsion of Venezuelan consul

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States has ordered the expulsion of Venezuela's consul general in Miami amid reports linking the diplomat to an alleged Iranian plot to target sensitive US facilities with cyber attacks, the US State Department said on Sunday.

The US action comes as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was to kick off a Latin American tour in Caracas later on Sunday.

The Venezuelan embassy in Washington was notified on Friday that Livia Acosta Noguera, the consul general, had been declared persona non grata and had until Tuesday to leave the country, said State Department spokesman William Ostick.

'In accordance with Article 23 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the department declared Ms Livia Acosta Noguera, Venezuelan consul general to Miami, to be persona non grata. As such, she must depart the United States by Jan 10,' he said