US Spying

BBC NEWS reported that
US spying 'may harm terror fight'

October 25, 2013 19:55French President François Hollande on the aims of the initiative

EU leaders meeting in Brussels said distrust of the US over spying could harm the fight against terrorism. A statement agreed by the leaders said that "a lack of trust could prejudice" intelligence-gathering co-operation. German spy chiefs are travelling to Washington next week to press for action over the alleged monitoring of Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone. Both Germany and France want talks with the US to find a new "understanding" by the end of the year. As well as the bugging of Mrs Merkel's phone, there are claims the US National Security Agency (NSA) has monitored millions of telephone calls by both German and French citizens. Spain on Friday followed Germany and France in summoning the US ambassador to explain reports of spying on the country. The UK's Guardian newspaper has reported that it obtained a confidential memo from the NSA suggesting it had monitored the phones of 35 world leaders. The latest revelations have been sourced to US whistleblower Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who fled the country earlier this year and is now in Russia. US state department spokesperson Jen Psaki said a review of US intelligence gathering, called for by President Obama, would look at how it affects foreign policy. The "high level group of outside experts... will consider as part of this how we can maintain the public's trust, how the surveillance impacts our foreign policy, particularly in an age when more and more information is becoming public," she said. 'Vital element' The EU leaders' statement, released earlier on Friday, reflected their conclusions following talks on Thursday.
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US spying: Pragmatism tempers EU anger http:// www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24668286