France expects explanations from US, Denmark over wiretapping scandal, Macron says

World May 31, 2021, 21:36

French President added that corresponding structures will hold discussion in this regard in order to reveal all circumstances

PARIS, May 31. /TASS/. France adheres to trusting relations between the EU and the US and expects explanations from Denmark and the US after the report about Danish intelligence’s spying on European politicians under Washington’s order, French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday.

"I adhere to trust that unites Europeans and Americans. There is no place for suspicions between us," he claimed. "We expect full disclosure. We expect our Danish and American partners to provide full information in the context of these revelations."

"This is unacceptable between allies and even less acceptable between allies and European partners," the French leader underscored.

He added that corresponding structures will hold discussion in this regard in order to reveal all circumstances.

On Sunday, the Suddeutsche Zeitung, the ARD and WDR, as well as a number of media in Denmark and Sweden reported that, in 2013, Danish intelligence assisted the US National Security Agency (NSA) in spying over European politicians. According to media reports, the intelligence use a facility located near Copenhagen for wiretapping. The NSA scandal began in 2013, when Der Spiegel published revelations of former CIA employee Edward Snowden. Since then, the more and more details about the story emerged. As it turned out, the US intelligence had been spying over thousands of targets in Europe, wiretapping on German citizens and even tapping into German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone several times.

In 2014, the head of the Danish Defense Intelligence Service initiated a secret internal investigation regarding the NSA use of the XKeyscore Danish-American intelligence service, intended for observation of countries neighboring Denmark. The investigation, codenamed Dunhammer, was over in 2015, and its results were sent to the intelligence head. Five years later, an informant made it known to the Ministry of Defense top brass, after which Defense Minister Trine Bramsen dismissed a number of top intelligence officers.

Read more on the site →