German Chancellor Angela Merkel makes a statement during a news conference in Berlin March 2, 2011. Merkel said on Wednesday she would appoint Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere as new defence minister to succeed Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, moving quickly to leave his plagiarism scandal behind. Hans-Peter Friedrich, the parliamentary leader for the Christain Social Union (CSU), would succeed de Maiziere as interior minister. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT)