German DM Defends Spy Partnership with US
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Germany’s Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said collaboration with US spies is essential to the safety of German troops.
In an interview published in the daily Bild on Sunday, the German defense minister said collaboration with US spy agencies had proved essential to the safety of Bundeswehr troops abroad.
The Christian Democrat said Germany's federal intelligence service, the BND, had worked closely with the US National Security Agency (NSA) on issues of importance to both countries, according to Deutsche Welle.
"The precise cooperation established with the Americans has already saved the lives of several soldiers," von der Leyen told Bild am Sonntag. "In all necessary discussions with the Americans, we will not forget that. The USA has always warned us ahead of attacks in Afghanistan and they continue to do so."
"Being able to trust each other is key and that cannot be lost in all the necessary debates. Both sides need to work every day toward mutual trust," she added.
Revelations by the whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013 seemingly confirmed long-held suspicions about US intelligence overreach -the Americans had even reportedly kept tabs on Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone- but Germans were shocked by news that the BND had helped the NSA spy on European officials, agencies and individuals.
Merkel's coalition partners, the Social Democrats, have called on the chancellery to release selectors such as metadata and search terms that the agencies used in their espionage.
In an interview with Suddeutsche Zeitung on Saturday, Merkel, too, had defended Germany's collaboration with the NSA, saying that the BND had not engaged in non-permitted espionage with the chancellery's knowledge.
The NSA has also come under heavy fire within the United States.