‘Obama Owes His Allies an Explanation’

By C. J. Refsland on July 1, 2013 • ( 0 )

Spiegel On Line

(Photo) A former National Security Agency (NSA) listening station at the Teufelsberg hill in Berlin

The fallout has been immense over revelations that US intelligence agencies systematically spied on EU officials as part of their far-reaching surveillance programs. German commentators on Monday say that Washington must explain itself.

Senior EU and German officials voiced their consternation on Sunday and Monday, with several calling for a suspension of negotiations over the trans-Atlantic free trade agreement. Talks on the sweeping trade deal, which could be of great economic benefit to both Germany and the US, are set to begin in July.

The German judiciary has also weighed in, with the Federal Prosecutors’ Officeconfirming to SPIEGEL on Sunday that it is looking into whether the NSA’s data spying violated laws aimed at protecting German citizens.

On Monday morning, German commentators react to the allegations with near-unanimous dismay.

Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

“It apparently falls to the United States intelligence agencies, primarily the NSA, to confirm all the prejudices about Americans held by much of the world. As it stands, the NSA not only egregiously spied on individual countries but also bugged and recorded the offices of the EU. This cannot be excused by the fact that it was done as part of the war on Islamic terrorism”

Revelations that America’s National Security Agency (NSA) spied on top European Union officials sent shockwaves across the Continent this weekend. Secret documents — obtained by whistleblower Edward Snowden and seen in part by SPIEGEL — confirm that the NSA bugged the EU’s diplomatic representation in Washington, New York and Brussels, and show the significant extent to which Germany has been a target of the NSA’s far-reaching spying activities. The news (read the full report here) potentially endangers trans-Atlantic relations and could have an adverse effect on ongoing trade talks between the US and EU.

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