Paris  - France is withdrawing 2,100 of its soldiers stationed in Africa, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Wednesday.

Of the 1,650 French troops deployed with the EUFOR force in Chad, 1,000 are to be called home. Another 1,100 soldiers will be withdrawn from the Ivory Coast, Fillon said.

The French Parliament was to vote on the troop reductions late Wednesday.

In addition, two French battleships were to be withdrawn from their mission of supporting UN forces in southern Lebanon.

In an interview published Wednesday in the daily France-Soir, Defence Minister Herve Morin said that Paris intended to reduce the 13,000 troops it has deployed overseas by some 20 per cent.

"That will enable us to save 100 million to 150 million euros (137 million to 199 million dollars)," Morin said.

In 2008, France spent some 900 million euros on maintaining its foreign troop deployments.

French forces in Afghanistan will not be affected by the Parliament measure, since their deployment was voted in September.

Opposition politicians have charged that the soldiers will eventually be redeployed in Afghanistan to support US President Barack Obama's plans to shift the US military focus from Iraq to the fight against the Taliban, which he sees as the main front against terrorism. (dpa)