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| France summons US ambassador over 'unacceptable' spying | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| France’s president, François Hollande, has described reported spying by the US on senior French officials as unacceptable and said Paris would not tolerate actions that threaten its security. | France’s president, François Hollande, has described reported spying by the US on senior French officials as unacceptable and said Paris would not tolerate actions that threaten its security. |
| The French foreign ministry has summoned the US ambassador to discuss the matter, French diplomats said. | |
| Hollande released the statement after an emergency meeting of ministers and army commanders on Wednesday, following WikiLeaks revelations that the National Security Agency (NSA) had spied on the last three French presidents. | Hollande released the statement after an emergency meeting of ministers and army commanders on Wednesday, following WikiLeaks revelations that the National Security Agency (NSA) had spied on the last three French presidents. |
| “France will not tolerate actions that threaten its security and the protection of its interests,” the president’s office said, adding that allegations about US spying on French interests had been revealed in the past. | “France will not tolerate actions that threaten its security and the protection of its interests,” the president’s office said, adding that allegations about US spying on French interests had been revealed in the past. |
| “Commitments were made by the US authorities. They need to be recalled and strictly respected.” | “Commitments were made by the US authorities. They need to be recalled and strictly respected.” |
| The revelations were first reported in French daily Libération and on news website Mediapart, which said the NSA spied on presidents Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and Hollande from at least 2006 until May 2012. | The revelations were first reported in French daily Libération and on news website Mediapart, which said the NSA spied on presidents Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and Hollande from at least 2006 until May 2012. |
| Hollande is due to meet members of parliament at his Elysée Palace offices later on Wednesday. | Hollande is due to meet members of parliament at his Elysée Palace offices later on Wednesday. |
| “We find it hard to understand or imagine what motivates an ally to spy on allies who are often on the same strategic positions in world affairs,” French government spokesman Stéphane Le Foll told iTELE television. | “We find it hard to understand or imagine what motivates an ally to spy on allies who are often on the same strategic positions in world affairs,” French government spokesman Stéphane Le Foll told iTELE television. |
| The statement released by the Elysée said: “These are unacceptable facts that have already been the subject of clarification between the US and France, notably at the end of 2013 when the first revelations were made and during a state visit by the president of the Republic to the United States in February 2014. | |
| “Promises were made by the American authorities. They must remember and strictly respect them. France, which has reinforced its control and protection measures, will not tolerate any scheming that threatens its security and the protection of its interests”. | |
| The leaked US documents, marked “top secret”, were based on phone taps and filed in an NSA document labelled “Espionnage Elysée” (Elysée Spy), according to Libération and Mediapart. | |
| The recorded conversations, which were handled by the summary services unit at the NSA, were said to reveal few state secrets but show clear evidence of the extent of American spying on countries considered allies. WikiLeaks documents suggest that other US spy targets included French cabinet ministers and the French ambassador to the United States. | |
| “The documents contain the ‘selectors’ from the target list, detailing the cell phone numbers of numerous officials in the Elysée up to and including the direct cell phone of the president,” a report of the taps published in the French media revealed. | |
| The revelations come as France gives its domestic intelligence and surveillance services controversial greater powers to combat jihadist networks, with more permissions to bug phones and licences to carry out mass surveillance on the internet. | |
| In an article co-authored by Julian Assange, the French newspaper Libération pointed out that in matters of spying, there are no friends: “Spying abroad is the ultimate ‘grey zone’ in surveillance – it is also, in France, the real blind spot of the planned law on surveillance, expected to be adopted this Wednesday.” | |
| Mediapart said: “For almost 10 years, the United States has listened into French presidents … it was all classed top secret or ‘special intelligence’. | |
| US media cited a statement from the US National Security Council saying it was not targeting and would not target Hollande’s communications. The statement did not deny spying had taken place in the past. | US media cited a statement from the US National Security Council saying it was not targeting and would not target Hollande’s communications. The statement did not deny spying had taken place in the past. |
| Claude Guéant, Sarkozy’s former chief of staff and one of the reported targets of the NSA, told RTL radio: “Considering the very close relationship we have with the United States, considering the fact we are extremely loyal allies, I feel like trust has been broken.” | Claude Guéant, Sarkozy’s former chief of staff and one of the reported targets of the NSA, told RTL radio: “Considering the very close relationship we have with the United States, considering the fact we are extremely loyal allies, I feel like trust has been broken.” |
| “These are scary revelations which require explanations from the United States and guarantees that it won’t happen again,” the Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, said on France 2 television. | “These are scary revelations which require explanations from the United States and guarantees that it won’t happen again,” the Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, said on France 2 television. |