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United States

Obama says NSA not spying on Merkel's cellphone

David Jackson
USA TODAY
President Obama and Angela Merkel
  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel called President Obama about spying allegations
  • Brazilian and French leaders also raise concerns about NSA intelligence gathering
  • Reports of tapping based on information leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration denied a report that the National Security Agency tapped the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

President Obama assured Merkel during a phone conversation Wednesday that the United States is not monitoring the chancellor's communication, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

The German magazine Der Spiegel reported that Merkel phoned Obama to discuss the allegations, which are based on disclosures from NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

"The United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of the chancellor," Carney said.

A statement from Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said the German government "has received information that the chancellor's cellphone may be monitored by American intelligence."

Seibert said that in the phone call with Obama, the German leader made clear that such practices are "completely unacceptable" and called on the United States to clarify the extent of its surveillance in Germany.

Germany is the latest nation to raise questions about NSA intelligence-gathering methods.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff canceled a planned state visit to the USA this month.

French President Francois Hollande called Obama on Monday to criticize NSA intelligence gathering in France.

As with reports in other nations, Der Spiegel based its story on information from Snowden, the former NSA contractor who has temporary asylum in Russia.

A White House readout of the Obama-Merkel phone call said. "The United States greatly values our close cooperation with Germany on a broad range of shared security challenges."

It said the Obama administration "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 White House said, "Both 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."

Contributing: The Associated Press

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