Merkel picks new minister of defense
Source: Agencies |
March 3, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday moved her interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, to the Defense Ministry - putting a trusted ally in charge of overseeing a gradual pullback from Afghanistan and a major overhaul of the German military.
De Maiziere succeeds Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, long rated Germany's most popular politician, who resigned on Tuesday amid persistent allegations he plagiarized parts of his doctoral thesis. De Maiziere will be replaced at the Interior Ministry by Hans-Peter Friedrich, a top conservative lawmaker.
The new defense minister inherits the task of slimming down the German military and making it better adapted to an era in which it faces growing demands to deploy overseas. As part of that, Guttenberg had pushed through a plan to end conscription and professionalize the force.
De Maiziere also takes on the job of overseeing Germany's unpopular deployment in northern Afghanistan, where some 5,000 Bundeswehr troops serve in the NATO-led stabilization force. Germany hopes to start a gradual troop withdrawal at the end of this year.
"Thomas de Maiziere will succeed in quickly winning the confidence of soldiers and, above all, pursuing and implementing with determination the Bundeswehr reform that Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg started," Merkel said.
A member of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, de Maiziere has been Germany's top security official since late 2009.
Before that, he was Merkel's chief of staff for four years - helping ensure the smooth and quiet running of her awkward first-term "grand coalition" of right and left.
De Maiziere succeeds Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, long rated Germany's most popular politician, who resigned on Tuesday amid persistent allegations he plagiarized parts of his doctoral thesis. De Maiziere will be replaced at the Interior Ministry by Hans-Peter Friedrich, a top conservative lawmaker.
The new defense minister inherits the task of slimming down the German military and making it better adapted to an era in which it faces growing demands to deploy overseas. As part of that, Guttenberg had pushed through a plan to end conscription and professionalize the force.
De Maiziere also takes on the job of overseeing Germany's unpopular deployment in northern Afghanistan, where some 5,000 Bundeswehr troops serve in the NATO-led stabilization force. Germany hopes to start a gradual troop withdrawal at the end of this year.
"Thomas de Maiziere will succeed in quickly winning the confidence of soldiers and, above all, pursuing and implementing with determination the Bundeswehr reform that Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg started," Merkel said.
A member of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, de Maiziere has been Germany's top security official since late 2009.
Before that, he was Merkel's chief of staff for four years - helping ensure the smooth and quiet running of her awkward first-term "grand coalition" of right and left.
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