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Germany discusses espionage scandal with French authorities

The U.S. ambassador to Germany is invited for a talk to Federal Foreign Office
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

BERLIN, July 1. /ITAR-TASS reporter Vladimir Smelov /. German government is discussing the U.S. cyber-espionage topic with the government of France, as reported today by the official representative of the German Cabinet Steffen Seibert.

“Europe and the U.S. are partners, friends and allies. Therefore, trust should be the basis of our cooperation,” he said. “And the trust in this affair should be restored,” noted Steffen Seibert.

Meanwhile, as reported today by the official representative of German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. ambassador to Germany is invited for a talk to Federal Foreign Office.

Protest against electronic espionage of U.S. intelligence in Germany also expressed the Union of Journalists of Germany. "If the information that became public knowledge is true, then we are talking about the biggest scandal of surveillance involving citizens and journalists," said today the chairman of the organization, Michael Konken.

According to him, "the protection of information that is an integral part of freedom of the press thereby is turned into a farce." Konken urged the government of Germany to demand the immediate cessation of listening on the part of U.S. intelligence and the elimination of electronic data.

All the journalists who have been exposed to wiretapping should be informed of its duration and volume, according to the chairman of the Union of Journalists of Germany, which brings together 38 thousand people. "We expect absolute transparency" - he said, stressing that "we are talking about the basics of democracy."