The United Nations Security Council is reported to have rejected a call by Baghdad to withdraw United States and British staff from humanitarian teams in Iraq.

British and American diplomats say the request to withdraw the fourteen staff involved was turned down during a closed-door session of the Security Council.

The U.N. secretariat, they said, would make it clear to Baghdad that it was for the United Nations to determine who works for its programme in Iraq.

On Monday, Iraq said it could no longer guarantee the safety of the US and British staff and that their contracts would not be renewed.