Prague - The Czech Republic government agreed Monday to reduce its planned troop numbers in Afghanistan for 2009 in a bid to cement parliamentary support for country's military deployments abroad, officials said.

The parliament's lower house spiked an earlier cabinet proposal on this year's military deployments on December 19. The rejection has threatened troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and Kosovo by March.

Under the revamped proposal, the government asks lawmakers to approve up to 480 soldiers for NATO's International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, down from cabinet's original request for up to 645 troops but a slight boost from the 2008 limit of 415 soldiers.

In addition, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's cabinet agreed to withdraw 100 special-forces troops from the US-led Enduring Freedom mission in October, said Czech Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova.

The central European country of 10.3 million also would send no military instructors to Iraq, as originally planned.

Under the proposal, the Czech Republic would deploy up to 550 troops in NATO's KFOR mission in Kosovo and 75 soldiers and four Jas- 39 Gripen fighter jets in the Baltics under NATO's air-guard duty.

The government would also have a mandate to deploy up to 1,800 troops under European Union's Battle Group this year.

Some 800 Czech soldiers are allowed to remain abroad until March under a cabinet mandate. If the government does not steer the new proposal through the parliament in February, the troops must return home.

Topolanek's three-party center-right ruling coalition has been significantly weakened since late 2008.

The government has 96 votes in the 200-seat lower house, while leftist opposition 97.

To pass legislation, the premier needs to win opposition backing or some of the seven independents - lawmakers who defected either the ruling or opposition camp. (dpa)