PARIS—French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is expected to step down in the coming weeks, according to French officials, removing an architect of France's hawkish stance in the Middle East and Africa from the world stage.

President Franç ois Hollande is considering appointing Mr. Fabius to France's constitutional court in March when one of the high court's judges is due to retire, the officials said. Mr. Fabius declined to comment.

Mr. Fabius's expected departure raises questions about whether Paris might temper assertive aspects of its foreign policy, ranging from France's military campaign against Islamist militants in Africa to its support for rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The candidates being considered to replace Mr. Fabius include Environment Minister Sé golè ne Royal, the people said. Ms. Royal, who is also the mother of Mr. Hollande's children, recently led a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe to welcome Cuban President Raú l Castro to France for a historic state visit.

É lisabeth Guigou, a lawmaker who chairs a foreign-affairs committee in the French legislature, and trade minister Matthias Fekl are also in the running, the people said.

Ms. Royal didn't respond to a request for comment. Spokesmen for Ms. Guigou and Mr. Fekl declined to comment.

Mr. Fabius has been a strong proponent of French intervention. In 2013 France mounted a military campaign to scatter Islamist militants who nearly overran Mali. France then spread its forces across Chad, Niger and neighboring countries to hunt the militants.

Mr. Fabius's voice has perhaps been most prominent in demanding that Mr. Assad leave office. He was among the first Western figures to publicly accuse Mr. Assad of carrying out chemical-weapons attacks on his own people.

The fate of Mr. Assad remains the most important sticking point among the world powers jockeying over Syria. Russia and Iran, Mr. Assad's main backers, want him to stay, while the U.S., France and Persian Gulf nations are adamant that he should step aside.

In the wake of the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris the government has come under pressure from right-wing lawmakers to drop its opposition to Mr. Assad and re-establish intelligence sharing with the Syrian leader's regime to prevent future attacks. But analysts doubt Mr. Hollande will change tack.

"Hollande shares a lot of what Fabius embodies," says Manuel Lafont Rapnouil of the European Council on Foreign Relations. "He will probably pick someone at ease within that framework."

At times, Mr. Fabius's outspoken style has led to tension with the U.S. as Paris found itself taking a harder line than Washington. Mr. Fabius shook up negotiations over Iran's nuclear program in Nov. 2013, warning the West risked being drawn into a "fool's game."

During a trip to Washington in 2014 Mr. Fabius said he regretted U.S. President Barack Obama's last-minute decision to abandon plans to strike Mr. Assad's forces from the air. France had publicly vowed to join the airstrikes.

"We believe it would have changed many things, in many respects," Mr. Fabius said.

Mr. Fabius's expected departure ends a long career in French politics that hit a high mark early on when he was named prime minister at age 37. His government was tarnished in 1999 when he and two other ministers were charged with manslaughter for failing to prevent France's blood supply from being contaminated with HIV. Mr. Fabius was acquitted.

Mr. Fabius capped his career last year with a major diplomatic victory, guiding talks among 195 nations at a summit in Paris to reach the first global agreement to combat global warming.

Mr. Fabius's low-key demeanor and inclusive style drew widespread praise, helping bridge the gulf between developing and developed countries that had stymied previous attempts to reach an accord on climate change.

The expected departure of the top diplomat also opens the door to a broader shuffle of Mr. Hollande's government.

Divisions have reappeared in Mr. Hollande's team and the Socialist party after a short period of unity in the wake of the Nov. 13 terror attacks.

In late January, justice minister Christiane Taubira—a popular figure on the left of the Socialist party—quit, citing a "major political disagreement" with Mr. Hollande over plans to amend the constitution to allow authorities to strip some convicted terrorists of their French nationality.

Write to Matthew Dalton at Matthew.Dalton@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 08, 2016 19:35 ET (00:35 GMT)