January 2, 1999
Web posted at: 7:46 p.m. EST (0046 GMT)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Because of last month's airstrikes, the Iraqi government has decided it will no longer allow American and British nationals to take part in United Nations humanitarian relief efforts inside Iraq, diplomatic sources said.

Iraq has stopped issuing or extending visas for Britons and Americans working for the U.N.'s oil-for-food program, and Iraq's foreign minister has advised U.N. officials that U.S. and British nationals currently on leave will not be allowed to return, sources told CNN and The Associated Press.

It was not clear if any aid workers have yet been ordered to leave. The decision could affect about 30 people working in central and northern Iraq. The U.N. has 420 relief workers in the country.

The U.N. spokesman in Iraq, George Somerwill, refused to confirm or deny that the Iraqis had made such a decision. "We've not received anything in writing," he said.

In New York, a spokesman for the oil-for-food program, John Mills, also refused to confirm the report.

"There is a concern here, and we are seeking clarification from the (Iraqi) government," he said.

The oil-for-food program allows Iraq to sell limited quantities of oil -- an exception to U.N. trade sanctions imposed after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait -- and use the proceeds to buy food and medicine and other essential supplies.

Iraqi officials have told the United Nations that they cannot guarantee the safety of British and American relief workers after last month's U.S.-British bombardment of Iraqi military targets, diplomatic sources say.

It's the first time that American and British relief workers have been singled out, though Iraq has long accused weapons inspectors from those two countries of being spies. In November 1997, Iraq briefly expelled American inspectors.

Meanwhile, Iraqi officials have stepped up a war of words against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, after he remarked last week that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was responsible for his country's woes.

Saturday, the newspaper Babel, owned by Hussein's son Uday, called on Egyptians to overthrow Mubarak.

"Egyptians who cannot accept such behavior ... would reject their shameless ruler who has lost everything, including his self-respect," the newspaper said.

The paper also ran a cartoon picturing Mubarak dancing in female costume to the drumbeats played by the rulers of Kuwait, as U.S. President Bill Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu look on clapping.

Iraqi officials have blamed Egypt for the postponement until January 24 of an Arab League summit to discuss the airstrikes. The league is based in Cairo.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.