20091208

PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Tuesday it had asked a diplomat at the Togo embassy in Paris to leave the country in retaliation for the expulsion of a French diplomat from the west African country.

The foreign ministry declined to say why Togo had targeted France's first secretary in Lome, who was named as Eric Bosc, and defended his record in the former French colony.

"(Bosc) was in charge of following interior policy and has never acted beyond his mission, showing great professionalism in his contacts with all legal parties," it said in the statement.

"France has taken a reciprocal measure and demanded the departure of a diplomat at Togo's embassy in France," it added.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero declined to comment on reports that Togo believed Bosc had developed too close ties with one of the candidates standing in 2010 presidential elections.

Bosc was still in Togo and was expected to leave the country in the next few days, Valero said.

Togo's embassy in Paris was not immediately available for comment.