© Bernd von Jutrczenka / Global Look PressHans-Georg Maassen, the former president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV)
The German domestic security chief, who got in hot water for expressing skepticism over media reports of violence against migrants, is to get a newly established post, a
remedy for disagreements within the ruling coalition.Hans-Georg Maassen, the former head of the German domestic security agency, the BfV, will be transferred to the position of special adviser to the interior minister, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced, following his meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leader of the Social Democrats, Andrea Nahles. He will be responsible for "European and international affairs," according to the minister.
Maassen's tasks would reportedly include negotiation of repatriation agreements and agreements with the African states on
refugee issues, as well as matters related to European security policy. Nahles, meanwhile, emphasized that his future responsibilities would have
"nothing to do" with domestic security issues.
The move is the
latest compromise on the troubled security chief's fate, which has recently become a source of controversy for the coalition. The decision would be implemented "swiftly and promptly," according to the government's spokesman, Steffen Seibert.
Comment: Luke Harding and the Guardian appear willing to lend a hand to every psy-op and disinformation campaign going. A small sample: