Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




MILPLEX
Merkel ally resists fresh pressure to resign
by Staff Writers
Berlin (AFP) June 10, 2013


Germany's defence minister on Monday resisted mounting pressure to resign over a scrapped spy drone deal, as Chancellor Angela Merkel said she continued to back him.

Thomas de Maiziere, a close Merkel ally, faced reporters for the second time in a week just three months before a general election to dismiss calls for his head over millions in wasted taxpayer money.

De Maiziere reiterated that he had made mistakes in overseeing the so-called Euro Hawk drone project but had taken the right decision to pull the plug on it last month.

"The end result, which came about via a faulty process, is for me no reason to resign but rather grounds and an impetus to avoid such mistakes in future," he said.

Yet in a further bid to ratchet up the pressure, the centre-left opposition said immediately after the minister's news conference that it would open a parliamentary inquiry into the so-called Euro Hawk affair before the September 22 poll.

It has stepped up calls in recent days for De Maiziere to take his leave, arguing that he misled deputies in testimony on the scandal.

However Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert stressed again Monday that De Maiziere had her "full confidence".

De Maiziere has acknowledged that he was kept in the dark for too long on problems with the unmanned surveillance aircraft programme, which had already gobbled up more than 500 million euros ($660 million) before he axed it.

Officials feared aviation authorities would not certify the Euro Hawk -- a version of US-based Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk customised by Europe's EADS -- because it lacks an anti-collision system.

The ministry decided the cost of adding such a system was too high, in what German media have dubbed the "drone debacle".

De Maiziere had figured on the short list of possible candidates to eventually take the reins from Merkel.

But the drone scandal has largely silenced such talk.

Merkel has a wide lead in opinion polls but the Euro Hawk affair has this month become a time-consuming distraction for her government.

.


Related Links
The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








MILPLEX
India promises to clean up military corruption
New Delhi (AFP) June 01, 2013
India's military, one of the world's largest weapons buyers, unveiled a new arms acquisition policy Saturday aimed at weeding out corruption in the defence sector. The policy announcement comes just over a week after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to crack down on defence corruption following a string of graft scandals that has put his government on the back foot. The defence mini ... read more


MILPLEX
LADEE Arrives at Wallops for Moon Mission

NASA's GRAIL Mission Solves Mystery of Moon's Surface Gravity

Moon dust samples missing for 40 years found in Calif. warehouse

Unusual minerals in moon craters may have been delivered from space

MILPLEX
SciTechTalk: Mars rover readies for 'road trip' on the Red Planet

First woman in space ready for 'one-way flight to Mars'

Aging Mars rover makes new water discoveries

Driving to 'Solander Point'

MILPLEX
Why innovation thrives in cities

Peanut butter, pyjamas, parmesan launched into space

White House moves to curb 'patent trolls'

A certain level of stress is necessary

MILPLEX
Final Countdown for Shenzhou 10

What's New for Shenzhou 10

China completes satellite ground station network

China publicizes Earth observation satellite's HD photos

MILPLEX
International trio takes shortcut to space station

Science and Maintenance for Station Crew, New Crew Members Prep for Launch

ESA Euronews: Living in space

Next destination: space

MILPLEX
Europe launches record cargo for space station

New chief urges Ariane 5 modification for big satellites

The Future of Space Launch

Rocket Engine Maker Proton-PM to Invest in New Products

MILPLEX
Kepler Stars and Planets are Bigger than Previously Thought

Astronomers gear up to discover Earth-like planets

Stars Don't Obliterate Their Planets (Very Often)

'Dust trap' around distant star may solve planet formation mystery

MILPLEX
Next-gen consoles battle for new gamers

A path to compact, robust sources for ultrashort laser pulses

Dutch duo peddle old bikes as fashion, furniture

To improve today's concrete, do as the Romans did




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement