Obama invites Merkel to Washington after NSA surveillance row

Author (Corporate)
Series Title
Series Details 08.01.14
Publication Date 08/01/2014
Content Type

US President Barack Obama invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit the United States, apparently to repair ties strained by US surveillance of her mobile phone and of those of German citizens. Chancellor Merkel was expected to visit the US at the end of January 2014.

However, Spiegel Online International reported on the 15 January 2014 that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had in the summer of 2013 promised Gernan citizens a pact which would prohibit US spying on German citizens. But since then, Washington had shown little interest in pursuing such a treaty. Now, officials in Germany feared the deal was dead. This would cause domestic political difficulties for the Chancellor.

Euronews and other news sources reported on the 17 January 2014 that US President Barack Obama had announced additional oversight measures for National Security Agency surveillance programmes in a major speech.

Speaking to Germany's ZDF TV on the 18 January 2014 the President said he would not let controversial surveillance by US intelligence services undermine Washington's ties with Germany. He indicated that US bugging of Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone had been a mistake and would not happen again. However, US intelligence services would continue to spy on foreign governments.

The german newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported on the 23 February 2014 that the US intelligence service, the NSA, had allegedly expanded its surveillance of German government officials since being ordered by President Barack Obama to stop spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel, quoting a senior NSA employee in Germany.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://dw.de/p/1AnbG
Related Links
ESO: Background information: Germany ‘sees no reason’ to offer asylum to Snowden / German Trust in United States Plummets http://www.europeansources.info/record/germany-sees-no-reason-to-offer-asylum-to-snowden-german-trust-in-united-states-plummets/
Spiegel Online International, 15.01.14: 'The Americans Lied': Trans-Atlantic 'No-Spy' Deal on the Rocks http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/us-german-no-spy-deal-in-danger-of-failure-a-943614.html
Euronews, 18.01.14: Opinion divided on Obama NSA spying reforms http://www.euronews.com/2014/01/18/opinion-divided-on-obama-nsa-spying-reforms
BBC News, 19.01.14: Barack Obama: Spying must not hurt US-German ties http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25798541
Deutsche Welle, 18.01.14: Obama placates Germany over NSA http://dw.de/p/1AtGH
EUObserver, 18.01.14: Obama promises not to spy on EU leaders http://euobserver.com/justice/122769
Spiegel Online International, 20.01.14: Probing America: Top German Prosecutor Considers NSA Investigation http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/nsa-syping-scandal-a-944415.html
ESO: Background information: Statement by European Commission Spokeswoman on U.S. President Obama's remarks on the review of U.S. intelligence programmes / Brussels welcomes Obama’s review of US spying programmes http://www.europeansources.info/record/memo-statement-by-european-commission-spokeswoman-on-u-s-president-obamas-remarks-on-the-review-of-u-s-intelligence-programmes-brussels-welcomes-obamas-review-of-us-spying-programmes/
EUObserver, 24.02.14: Report: NSA spying on German ministers instead of Merkel http://euobserver.com/foreign/123242
Deutsche Welle, 23.02.14: Report: NSA spying on Merkel aides http://dw.de/p/1BEA1

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