German confidence in U.S. 'shaken' by spy scandal

 

 

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German confidence in U.S. 'shaken' by spy scandal
10/27/2013 6:53:45 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Interior minister: Wiretapping is a crime and "those responsible must be held accountable"
• "The confidence in our ally, (the) USA, is shaken," he tells a German newspaper
• German intelligence officials will visit Washington, officials say
• Der Spiegel: U.S. spied on Merkel for more than 10 years, at least until June

(CNN) -- Germany's interior minister says his country's confidence in the United States is shaken, amid claims the U.S. National Security Agency monitored Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone.

"If the Americans intercepted cell phones in Germany, they broke German law on German soil," Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, adding that he wants "complete information on all accusations."

Wiretapping is a crime and "those responsible must be held accountable," Friedrich told the newspaper.

"The confidence in our ally, (the) USA, is shaken," Friedrich said, according to Bild am Sonntag.

The interior minister's comments in an interview published Sunday are the latest expression of outrage from German officials over the alleged espionage, which was reported last week by the German magazine Der Spiegel.

The report, which cites a secret U.S. intelligence file, claimed Merkel's phone had been monitored for more than 10 years, stretching back before her current post.

The report is the latest in a series of allegations that have challenged relations between the two long-time allies.

The same database indicated the United States was spying on many others in Berlin's political district, at least up to the time when U.S. President Barack Obama visited Berlin this year, Der Spiegel reported.

Now Germany is sending a group of senior intelligence officials to Washington to discuss the reports, the government's press office said last week.

Asked about these claims, U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said her agency does not "comment publicly on every specific intelligence activity."

"And, as a matter of policy, we have made clear that the United States gathers foreign intelligence of the type gathered by all nations," said Hayden, echoing comments she and others have made in recent days.

Still, it remains to be seen if citizens and leaders in Europe will accept such explanations -- and whether recent efforts by the Obama administration to address their concerns will be successful.

CNN's Chloe Sommers and Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report.

 

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