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| U.S. Disputes Reports of Wiretapping in France and Germany | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| BERLIN — The German government said Wednesday that it had received information that the cellphone of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany was under surveillance by United States intelligence services and that she had called President Obama to make clear that such practices – if confirmed – were “completely unacceptable.” | BERLIN — The German government said Wednesday that it had received information that the cellphone of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany was under surveillance by United States intelligence services and that she had called President Obama to make clear that such practices – if confirmed – were “completely unacceptable.” |
| Steffen Seibert, the chancellor’s spokesman, quoted her as telling Mr. Obama: “Between close friends and partners, which the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America have been for decades, there should be no such surveillance of the communications of a head of government.” | Steffen Seibert, the chancellor’s spokesman, quoted her as telling Mr. Obama: “Between close friends and partners, which the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America have been for decades, there should be no such surveillance of the communications of a head of government.” |
| He further quoted her as telling him: “That would be a grave breach of trust. Such practices must cease immediately.” | He further quoted her as telling him: “That would be a grave breach of trust. Such practices must cease immediately.” |
| It was the second time in three days that allegations of American government surveillance threatened to cloud relations between Washington and close European allies. The consternation in Berlin followed a furor in France over reports in the newspaper Le Monde that American intelligence had collected data on 70 million communications by French citizens in a 30-day period late last year and into January. | |
| The White House issued a statement confirming that Mr. Obama and Ms. Merkel had spoken “regarding allegations that the U.S. National Security Agency intercepted the communications of the German Chancellor. The President assured the Chancellor that the United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of Chancellor Merkel.” | |
| The statement did not address whether those communications had been intercepted in the past. | The statement did not address whether those communications had been intercepted in the past. |
| Also on Wednesday, James R. Clapper, the director of national intelligence in the United States, disputed some details of Le Monde’s reports as misleading. | Also on Wednesday, James R. Clapper, the director of national intelligence in the United States, disputed some details of Le Monde’s reports as misleading. |
| The vehement French criticism of the United States – Ambassador Charles H. Rivkin was summoned on Monday to the French foreign ministry -- followed unhappiness expressed by Germany in June and since then by Brazil and Mexico, about having been targeted by the National Security Agency’s surveillance program. Brazil’s president, Dilma Rousseff canceled a visit to the United States over the issue. | |
| Like earlier accusations of widespread surveillance in Germany, the disclosures in France were based on documents provided by Edward J. Snowden, the former N.S.A. contractor who has been charged in the United States with espionage and theft. His leaks of N.S.A. materials have pointed an uncomfortable spotlight on the scope of American spying at home and abroad. Mr. Snowden, who has been granted asylum in Russia, has been both denounced as a traitor and lauded as a hero for exposing the perils of government spying on private citizens in the digital age. | |
| The statement from Mr. Seibert did not make clear what information the German government had received. Der Spiegel, a German newsmagazine, said on its Web site that it had made an inquiry to the government in the course of routine research, and said that inquiry had triggered the reaction. “Apparently, after an examination by the Federal Intelligence Service and the Federal Office for Security in Information Technology the government found sufficient plausible grounds to confront the U.S. government,” the magazine said. | |
| In France, President François Hollande expressed “extreme reprobation” after the revelations of surveillance of French citizens. A White House official said Mr. Obama called Mr. Hollande on Monday and acknowledged that some of the reports had raised “legitimate questions for our friends and allies.” | |
| “The president and President Hollande discussed recent disclosures in the press — some of which have distorted our activities, and some of which raise legitimate questions for our friends and allies about how these capabilities are employed,” the White House said in a statement. “The president made clear that the United States has begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share. The two presidents agreed that we should continue to discuss these issues in diplomatic channels.” | “The president and President Hollande discussed recent disclosures in the press — some of which have distorted our activities, and some of which raise legitimate questions for our friends and allies about how these capabilities are employed,” the White House said in a statement. “The president made clear that the United States has begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share. The two presidents agreed that we should continue to discuss these issues in diplomatic channels.” |
| In late June, after reports in Der Spiegel that the United States had been spying on the European Union and that the N.S.A. had tapped its offices in Washington, Brussels and the United Nations, European politicians expressed anger and demanded an explanation. | |
| The White House statement issued on Wednesday emphasized that “the United States greatly values our close cooperation with Germany on a broad range of shared security challenges. As the President has said, the United States is reviewing the way that we gather intelligence to ensure that we properly balance the security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share.” | |
| The leaders agreed “to intensify further the cooperation between our intelligence services with the goal of protecting the security of both countries and of our partners, as well as protecting the privacy of our citizens,” it added. | The leaders agreed “to intensify further the cooperation between our intelligence services with the goal of protecting the security of both countries and of our partners, as well as protecting the privacy of our citizens,” it added. |
| The need to issue two statements in 48 hours over relations with close trans-Atlantic allies underscored the damage wrought by the documents Mr. Snowden says he collected while working for American intelligence agencies. | The need to issue two statements in 48 hours over relations with close trans-Atlantic allies underscored the damage wrought by the documents Mr. Snowden says he collected while working for American intelligence agencies. |
| In a statement published on the Web site of the office of the director of national intelligence on Wednesday, Mr. Clapper raised objections to Le Monde’s reporting, saying recent articles “contain inaccurate and misleading information regarding U.S. foreign intelligence activities.” | |
| In the statement, first reported by The Associated Press late Tuesday, Mr. Clapper did not address additional allegations in Le Monde that the N.S.A. had monitored “French diplomatic interests” at the United Nations and in Washington. | In the statement, first reported by The Associated Press late Tuesday, Mr. Clapper did not address additional allegations in Le Monde that the N.S.A. had monitored “French diplomatic interests” at the United Nations and in Washington. |
| The newspaper reported that confidential information garnered by the N.S.A. from eavesdropping had played a “big role” in securing a vote at the United Nations on June 9, 2010, in favor of a resolution imposing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. | The newspaper reported that confidential information garnered by the N.S.A. from eavesdropping had played a “big role” in securing a vote at the United Nations on June 9, 2010, in favor of a resolution imposing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. |
| If indeed American intelligence was listening to Ms. Merkel’s phone, or registering what calls she made and received, the trust between Berlin and Washington could be severely damaged. Since Der Spiegel’s original revelations in June, even senior officials in the German government have voiced more caution about cooperating with the United States, and wondered in private about the extent to which any information gleaned was shared with, say, business rivals of German companies. The German government said it had been assured that German laws were not broken, but the sensitivity of the issue – in a country with Nazi and Communist pasts – is hard to overstate. | If indeed American intelligence was listening to Ms. Merkel’s phone, or registering what calls she made and received, the trust between Berlin and Washington could be severely damaged. Since Der Spiegel’s original revelations in June, even senior officials in the German government have voiced more caution about cooperating with the United States, and wondered in private about the extent to which any information gleaned was shared with, say, business rivals of German companies. The German government said it had been assured that German laws were not broken, but the sensitivity of the issue – in a country with Nazi and Communist pasts – is hard to overstate. |
| In July, Mrs. Merkel, herself raised in Communist East Germany, signaled that she understood the importance – for all Western allies – of collecting intelligence. But she also emphasized that German or European laws should not be violated, and one needed to ensure that it was the rule of law and not of the strong that guided allied actions. | |
| The alarm of Americans – and indeed their allies – after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was understandable, Ms. Merkel said then, but “the aim does not justify the means. Not everything which is technically doable, should be done. The question of relative means must always be answered: what relation is there between the danger and the means we choose, also and especially with regard to preserving the basic rights contained in our Basic law?” | |
| Two senior Obama administration officials were visiting Berlin on Wednesday as part of the continuing exchange on intelligence and many other matters, in particular the trans-Atlantic trade negotiations that both the United States and the European Union portray as a pillar for future relations. The latest round of such talks was canceled earlier this month because the United States government shutdown prevented the relevant American officials from traveling to Europe. | |
Jackie Calmes and Mark Landler contributed reporting from Washington, Melissa Eddy from Berlin and Dan Bilefsky from Paris. | Jackie Calmes and Mark Landler contributed reporting from Washington, Melissa Eddy from Berlin and Dan Bilefsky from Paris. |