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Merkel aide summons US ambassador over new spying claims Germany summons US ambassador over new spying claims
(about 2 hours later)
Angela Merkel’s chief of staff has asked the US ambassador for a meeting to discuss the latest reports of alleged US spying on Germany. Angela Merkel’s chief of staff has summoned the US ambassador to a meeting over allegations that the National Security Agency spied on German ministers.
A German official said Peter Altmaier had invited John Emerson to the chancellery on Thursday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity. The meeting between Peter Altmaier and ambassador John Emerson follows claims that NSA agents spied not only on Merkel but on other members of her government.
WikiLeaks said 69 telephone numbers of government ministries, including the economy and finance ministries, had been found in secret NSA files.
Related: German secret service BND reduces cooperation with NSARelated: German secret service BND reduces cooperation with NSA
On Wednesday WikiLeaks published a list of German phone numbers that it claimed showed that the US National Security Agency eavesdropped on senior German officials beyond Merkel. Germany’s attorney general, Harald Range, said he would investigate the allegations and decide whether to prosecute the NSA, according to Spiegel Online.
Reports two years ago that the chancellor’s mobile phone was monitored by the NSA caused diplomatic friction between Berlin and Washington, prompting Barack Obama to pledge that he would not allow America’s massive communications surveillance capability to damage relations with close allies. Three weeks ago Rangedropped an investigation into reports that Merkel’s own phone had been targeted by the NSA, citing a lack of evidence.
Patrick Sensburg, the Christian Democrat chair of a parliamentary committee investigating the NSA allegations, told German television that it was important to find out whether the spying was still ongoin.
“We also have to assume that other countries are involved in similar activities,” he said.
Sigmar Gabriel, the deputy chancellor and economy minister, said he remained relaxed about the claims. “You have a rather ironic relationship towards all this,” he said. “We don’t do anything in the ministries on the telephone that would be worth bugging.”
He said it was far more pressing to find out whether the NSA had spied on German businesses. “My ministry is responsible for protecting companies from economic espionage, and that I find the more problematic topic,” he said.