Merkel
calls Obama about 'US spying on her phone'
White House spokesman Jay Carney confirmed that President Obama
had "assured" Chancellor Merkel that the US was not monitoring her
phone
US spy leaks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called US President Barack
Obama after receiving information that the US may have spied on her mobile
phone.
A spokesman for Mrs Merkel said the German leader "views such
practices... as completely unacceptable".
Mrs Merkel called on US officials to clarify the extent of their
surveillance in Germany.
The White House said President Obama had told Chancellor Merkel
the US was not snooping on her communications.
"The United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the
communications of the chancellor," White House spokesman Jay Carney said
on Wednesday.
The US has been on the receiving end of anger from allies over
spying allegations based on material said to originate from fugitive American
leaker Edward Snowden.
'Breach of trust'
The language in the White House statement responding to
allegations that the NSA monitored Angela Merkel's private mobile phone is
deliberately precise. "The president assured the chancellor that the
United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of
Chancellor Merkel." It did not deny possible past surveillance on her
phone.
Clearly, Angela Merkel believes these allegations are plausible
enough to confront directly Barack Obama, in what must have been an awkward
conversation.
Tonight at the White House there was supposed to be a state dinner
for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. But she cancelled the visit last month
following allegations that the NSA snooped on her personal communications.
Only on Monday, President Obama had to reassure his French
counterpart, Francois Hollande, over allegations published in Le Monde of
electronic eavesdropping on French political figures and business leaders on a
vast scale.
The diplomatic backlash is getting fiercer by the day.
Mr Carney told reporters that Washington was examining concerns
from Germany as well as France and other American allies over US intelligence practices.
But the spokesman did not address whether Mrs Merkel's phone had
been monitored in the past.
Berlin demanded "an immediate and comprehensive
explanation" from Washington about what it said "would be a serious
breach of trust".
In a statement it said: "Among close friends and partners, as
the Federal Republic of Germany and the US have been for decades, there should
be no such monitoring of the communications of a head of government."
The statement also said that Mrs Merkel had told Mr Obama:
"Such practices must be prevented immediately."
The BBC's Steve Evans in Berlin says because the statement was
issued after the phone call, there were indications that Mrs Merkel had not
been reassured.
He says the issue of state monitoring of phone calls is a real one
in Germany - Angela Merkel grew up in East Germany, where phone tapping was
pervasive.
President Obama had assured Chancellor Merkel when he visited in
June that German citizens were not being spied upon and our correspondent says
she was criticised then by political opponents for not being more sceptical.
The German government would not elaborate on how it received the
tip about the alleged US spying.
But news magazine Der Spiegel, which has published stories based
on material from Edward Snowden, said
the information had come from its investigations.
US allies on spying
claims
- US agencies accused of spying on leaders of Brazil and
Mexico; Brazil's Dilma Rousseff cancels
state visit, Mexico's Enrique Pena Nieto says US has promised
an inquiry
- US allegedly runs bugging operations on EU mission in
Washington and other European embassies; France objects, Germany cancels
surveillance agreement with US and UK
- Le Monde claims NSA snooped on millions of phone calls
in France; Paris complains
to Washington
Mrs Merkel's call comes a day after US intelligence chief James
Clapper denied reports that American spies had recorded data from 70 million
phone calls in France in a single 30-day period.
He said a report in Le Monde newspaper had contained
"misleading information".
A number of US allies have expressed anger over the Snowden-based
spying allegations.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff cancelled a visit to the US
this month in protest at alleged electronic espionage by the NSA against her
country, including of communications at her office.
In a speech at the United Nations, she rejected arguments put forward
by the US that the interception of information was aimed at protecting nations
against terrorism, drugs trafficking and other organised crime.
The Mexican government has called the alleged spying on the emails
of two presidents, Enrique Pena Nieto - the incumbent - and Felipe Calderon, as
"unacceptable".
US officials have begun a review of American intelligence
gathering amid the international outcry.
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