U.S. plays down reports of spying on EU, other allies

[Catherina]

41. "of unspeakable hostility" "How can u negotiate when ur negotiating position has been intercepted?"

Germany's federal prosecutor's office has also opened inquiries into the NSA debacle, with a view to establishing whether German laws have been breached.

"The prosecutor's office is carefully assessing the media reports with reference to its legal mandate," a spokeswoman said. It would examine the available information on the Prism, Tempora, and Boundless Informant programmes and seek to establish whether the NSA's interception of telephone and internet communication was violating German laws, she added.

...

Elmar Brok, the veteran MEP who chairs the European parliament's foreign affairs committee and is from Merkel's Christian Democratic party, said the opening of the trade talks next week had been jeopardised. "How can you negotiate when you have got to fear that your own negotiating position has been intercepted in advance?" he asked.

....

Austria's Hannes Swoboda, head of the social democrats in the European parliament, said: "We demand full disclosure on the alleged bugging and wire-tapping of EU representatives by the US authorities, including the potential involvement of EU member states' intelligence services. The EU and US have to see eye to eye in this world and share relevant information. Spying is certainly not the right way to reinforce co-operation.

...

France's justice minister, Christiane Taubira, said, if confirmed, the US behaviour was of unspeakable hostility.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/01/nsa-spying-allegations-germany-us-france