Germany to send intelligence officials to
Washington amid spying uproar
By Laura Smith-Spark and Per Nyberg, CNN
October 26, 2013 -- Updated 2104 GMT (0504
HKT)
Germany sending intel team to D.C.
NEW: Der Spiegel: U.S. spied on Merkel for
more than 10 years, at least until June
NEW: NSC doesn't comment on claim, says
U.S gets intelligence like other nations
German intelligence officials will visit
Washington, Foreign Ministry spokesman says
A European summit was dominated by anger
over claims of widespread U.S. spying
(CNN) -- Germany is sending senior intelligence
officials to Washington, a Foreign Ministry
spokesman said Saturday, amid outrage over
claims the U.S. National Security Agency
monitored German Chancellor Angela Merkel's
cell phone.
Among them will be the heads of Germany's
foreign and domestic intelligence services and
the coordinator of the federal intelligence
services, the government's press office said.
The trip comes amid a series of reports that have
challenged relations between the two long-time
allies. The latest is a story in the German
magazine Der Spiegel that -- citing 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 same database indicated the United States
was spying on many others in Berlin's political
district, at least up to when U.S. President
Barack Obama visited Berlin this year, Der
Spiegel reported.
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.
Spokesman: U.S.-German talks ongoing for
months
The German government's deputy spokesman
said Friday that its officials heading to
Washington would seek to push forward talks
with the White House and the NSA as they seek
more information about the alleged U.S. spying.
The German representatives will be in the U.S.
capital "very soon," said the foreign ministry
spokesman, who is not named in line with
department policy.
The spokesman said it is most likely that the
intelligence officials will meet with their
respective counterparts, although he did not
know exactly who they would see.
The United States has been in talks with German
intelligence officials for the past several months,
and leaders of both countries have agreed to
increase cooperation, said Hayden of the
National Security Council.
"We understand that German officials plan to
travel to Washington in coming weeks, and the
U.S. government looks forward to meeting with
them," she said.
U.S. surveillance under European fire
Damage control on NSA Scandal
U.S. allies furious over spying
Germany and Brazil are also drafting a U.N.
resolution regarding the protection of privacy in
electronic communication, according to the
German foreign ministry spokesman said.
Diplomats from those two countries met
Thursday to discuss the possible U.N. resolution,
government officials in Brazil said.
"It is very general, but we think this is a very
important topic, that's why we are drafting it. It
is still at a very early stage, so we don't know
when it will be presented or if other countries
will join," the German spokesman said.
Europe falls out of love with Obama over NSA
spying claims
U.S. relations have soured with Brazil over
reports that the United States spied on
President Dilma Rousseff and her advisers.
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden
reportedly leaked the documents cited in
Brazilian media reports about the alleged
espionage operations
, as well as those in European media outlets.
'Significant challenges'
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki
referred to the leaks from Snowden in comments
Friday in Washington.
"These unauthorized disclosures of classified
information have of course led to criticisms of
our intelligence activity by many of our friends
and partners," she said. "It's created significant
challenges in our relationships with some of our
partners and has been, of course, a public
distraction."
Obama has directed the government to review
its surveillance capabilities, including with
regard to its foreign partners, she said.
Obama promises changes
Damage control on NSA Scandal
Eavesdropper 'spies' on former NSA chief
Eavesdropping on ex-NSA director
"We want to ensure we're collecting information
because we need it and not just because we
can," she said.
"We will of course continue to gather the
information we need to keep ourselves and our
allies safe. We of course will factor in the views
of our friends and partners as we have those
discussions with them, and we'll continue to
balance our security needs with privacy
concerns."
The U.S government fully expects that "more
allegations will surface given the quantity of
classified information leaked by Mr. Snowden,"
Psaki added.
'Deep concerns' in Europe
Anger over the claims of widespread spying by
the NSA on its European allies overshadowed an
EU summit held in Brussels on Thursday and
Friday.
EU leaders said the allegations had raised "deep
concerns" among Europeans and could affect the
cooperation needed for effective intelligence
gathering.
"A lack of trust could prejudice the necessary
cooperation in the field," the leaders said in a
joint statement issued at the conclusion of the
European Council meeting.
Germany and France intend to seek talks with
the United States "with the aim of finding before
the end of the year an understanding on mutual
relations in that field," the EU leaders'
statement said. Other nations are welcome to
join these talks, it noted.
Merkel said the assertions that the U.S. National
Security Agency spied on her and other world
leaders had "severely shaken" relationships
between Europe and the United States, and that
trust would have to be rebuilt.
Merkel: Relations with U.S. 'severely shaken' over
spying claims
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
announced Friday that Madrid had summoned
U.S. Ambassador James Costos over the matter, a
day after Germany summoned the U.S. envoy to
Berlin over its concerns.
The German spying allegation came in the same
week that the French daily newspaper Le Monde
reported claims that the NSA intercepted more
than 70 million phone calls in France over a 30-
day period.
French President Francois Hollande said Friday
there is an "ongoing dialog" with the United
States over its past actions, but the priority is
establishing a "code of conduct" for the present
and future.
CNN's Chloe Sommers and Frederik Pleitgen
contributed to this report.
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