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NSA scandal - friendly eavesdropping?

PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle 28.10.2013 14:20
  • NFP 13 10 28 Friendly eavesdropping.mp3
Revelations that the US has been tapping into Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone calls has raised questions of trust in European political circles.

photo
photo - EPA/Kay Nietfeld (archive)

A shadow cast over last week's EU summit by news of the United States spying on the German chancellor greatly shifted interest from the planned agenda to matters of trust in Europe's relations with its American partner and ally.

As Slawek Szefs reports, President of the European Parliament Martin Shultz even asked a rhetorical question: if we sit down at the table with the awareness that our partners already know everything about our plans, how can we trust them?

“Could you imagine that a European secret service is listening to the president of the United States? And if that would be true, I’d really be interested in the reaction of US officials,” he said.

Head of Polish diplomacy Radoslaw Sikorski drew attention to the hard fact that electronic surveillance is part of standard intelligence activity and, therefore, requires effective protection measures.

“It's a constant strife between our technology and progressing solutions of those interested in eavesdropping on us,” noted the foreign minister, adding “there is not a single week without attempts to break into Polish government communications channels.”

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