Merkel Resists Cutting U.S. Ties Over Spying Affair

[Purveyor]

By Arne Delfs Jul 15, 2014 9:53 AM ET

July 14 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg’s Hans Nichols examines relations between the United States and Germany in light of recent spying allegations and talk in German media of Chancellor Angela Merkel possibly stepping down early before her term is complete. He speaks on “Bloomberg Surveillance.”

After German authorities exposed two suspected American agents last week, Merkel condemned the activities and asked the U.S. to withdraw the Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Berlin. Her insistence that the affair doesn’t undermine the U.S.’s status as a key partner shows she won’t let it sunder relations with President Barack Obama, even at the risk of bucking public opinion and critics in her governing coalition.

“She’s not about to jeopardize the close relationship with the U.S.,” Jan Techau, head of the Carnegie Endowment’s office in Brussels, said in an interview. While Merkel has criticized the U.S. for its alleged actions, “that’s mainly for domestic political reasons,” he said.

Binding the two nations together are $223 billion in bilateral trade, joint military missions, cooperation on intelligence and plans to create the world’s biggest free-trade area between the U.S. and Europe. Since espionage revelations in Germany began on July 4, Merkel has signaled that she wants to isolate the fallout and move on.

“Right now we have differing views as far as the intelligence services are concerned,” she said in an interview with ZDF television on July 12. “But other policy areas, such as the free-trade agreement, are absolutely in our interest.”

more...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-14/merkel-resists-sundering-u-s-ties-over-spying-affair.html

[blm]

1. I smell the BFEE's inner circle at the CIA that no WH can crack.

How many times have we seen Dem WH's pay the price for some inexplicable covert action they were unaware of and that doesn't even make sense?