Monday, July 1, 2013

US plays down reports of spying on EU, other allies

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei - Nearly all national governments, not just the United States, use "lots of activities" to safeguard their interests and security, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday, responding for the first time to allegations that Washington spied on the European Union and other allies.

The EU has strongly demanded that the United States explain a report in a German magazine that Washington is spying on the group, saying that, if true, the alleged surveillance was "shocking".



The Guardian newspaper said in an article late on Sunday that the United States had also targeted non-European allies including Japan, South Korea and India for spying - an awkward development for Kerry as he arrived for an Asian security conference in Brunei on Monday.

Kerry confirmed that EU High Representative Catherine Ashton had raised the issue with him in a meeting with him in Brunei but gave no further details of their exchange. He said he had yet to see details of the newspaper allegations.

"I will say that every country in the world that is engaged in international affairs and national security undertakes lots of activities to protect its national security and all kinds of information contributes to that. All I know is that is not unusual for lots of nations," Kerry told a news conference. 

http://www.jpost.com
1/7/13
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4 comments:

  1. Alleged U.S. spying on EU offices manifestation of double standards: Russia....

    MOSCOW, July 1 (Xinhua)
    -- Alleged U.S. special service's spying on the European Union (EU) offices is a manifestation of double standards, a Russian diplomat said Monday.

    "Wiretapping of EU officials' conversations by the U.S. secret services is another manifestation of double standards in international law and human rights," Konstantin Dolgov, the Foreign Ministry's human rights envoy, said on his Twitter account.

    "We hope that Washington will make due conclusions from this scandal in compliance with international obligations of the United States," the official tweeted.

    German magazine Der Spiegel reported earlier that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) not only monitors the communication of European citizens, but also has an eavesdropping program targeting the EU offices.

    A document dated September 2010 and classified as "strictly confidential" showed how the NSA spied the EU's diplomatic mission in Washington, it said.

    Eavesdropping bugs were installed in the EU buildings and the internal computer network was infiltrated, through which the U.S. intelligence can get access to EU meetings, e-mails and internal documents, it added.

    In addition, the U.S. intelligence also keeps regular eavesdropping and monitoring of the Justus Lipsius building, the headquarters of the Council of the European Union, it said.
    http://english.cntv.cn/20130701/105649.shtml
    1/7/13

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  2. Späh-Affäre – Bundesregierung kritisiert USA scharf....

    "Abhören von Freunden, das ist inakzeptabel, das geht gar nicht": Kanzlerin Merkel will mit Obama über die Affäre sprechen. Der Grüne Trittin fordert, Deutschland müsse Snowden Unterschlupf gewähren.

    Die Bundesregierung hat die USA in der Späh-Affäre scharf kritisiert. "Abhören von Freunden, das ist inakzeptabel, das geht gar nicht, wir sind nicht mehr im Kalten Krieg", sagte Regierungssprecher Steffen Seibert am Montag in Berlin. Notwendig seien vollständige Aufklärung "und gegebenenfalls eine einstimmige und auch eine sehr deutliche europäische Reaktion". Das Befremden Deutschlands sei dem Weißen Haus übermittelt worden.

    Die Bundesregierung habe der US-Regierung daher bereits am Wochenende ihr Befremden übermittelt und um Aufklärung der Vorwürfe gebeten, die in Medienberichten erhoben worden waren. Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel und US-Präsident Barack Obama würden in absehbarer Zukunft über die Angelegenheit sprechen.

    Grünen-Fraktionschef Jürgen Trittin hat unterdessen einen sicheren Aufenthaltsort für den Enthüller der Abhörpraktiken des US-Geheimdienstes NSA, Edward Snowden, in Deutschland oder einem anderen europäischen Land gefordert. Zugleich sprach er sich am Montag im ARD-"Morgenmagazin" dafür aus, die existierenden Abkommen mit den USA über den Austausch von Bankdaten sowie von Fluggastdaten seitens der Europäischen Union aufzukündigen.

    Auch über Freihandel werde man nur sprechen können, wenn klar sei, dass die Regeln eingehalten würden. So müsse das Betriebsgeheimnis gewahrt werden und dürfe nicht ausspioniert werden. "Die Amerikaner führen sich genauso auf, wie sie es den Chinesen vorwerfen", sagte Trittin......http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article117597292/Spaeh-Affaere-Bundesregierung-kritisiert-USA-scharf.html
    1/7/13

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  3. Turkey to 'react' if US spy claims true....

    Turkey would react if the claims of spying on Turkish missions in the country were true, diplomatic sources have said.

    Along with the European Union embassies and missions in the United States, the U.S. intelligence agencies have spied on embassies and missions of many other countries including Turkey, according to the latest U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) documents leaked by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.

    “We have seen the news reports and we have currently been examining those reports. If it is credible information, we will of course be showing the required reaction,” diplomatic sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Hürriyet Daily News.

    The same sources, however, declined to comment when asked what they specifically meant by the term “required reaction.”

    A September 2010 document lists 38 embassies and missions, describing them as “targets,” British daily The Guardian reported late June 30. The document also details a range of spying methods used against each target, from bugs implanted in electronic communications gear to taps into cables, to the collection of transmissions with specialized antennae, according to the report.

    The French, Italian and Greek embassies, as well as a number of other American allies, including Turkey, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and India are among the U.S. “targets,” the report said......http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-to-react-if-us-spy-claims-true.aspx?pageID=238&nID=49789&NewsCatID=359
    1/7/13

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  4. ΥΠΕΞ: Απάντηση Εκπροσώπου ΥΠΕΞ σε ό,τι αφορά πληροφορίες σχετικά με παρακολουθήσεις Διπλωματικών Αρχών στο εξωτερικό .....

    ΥΠΕΞ, Δευτέρα, 01 Ιούλιος 2013
    Απαντώντας σε ερώτηση δημοσιογράφου σε ό,τι αφορά δημοσιογραφικές πληροφορίες σχετικά με παρακολουθήσεις, μεταξύ άλλων, και ελληνικών Διπλωματικών Αρχών στο εξωτερικό, ο Εκπρόσωπος του Υπουργείου Εξωτερικών, Κωνσταντίνος Κούτρας, ανέφερε τα εξής:

    «Καταρχήν, δεν θα ήθελα να σχολιάσω δημοσιογραφικές πληροφορίες για ένα τόσο σημαντικό θέμα, χωρίς να υπάρχουν διαθέσιμα όλα τα απαραίτητα στοιχεία.

    Θα ήθελα, όμως, να υπογραμμίσω ότι η Ελλάδα σέβεται απολύτως τις προβλέψεις του Διεθνούς Δικαίου που διέπουν το καθεστώς λειτουργίας των Διπλωματικών και Προξενικών Αρχών. Για το λόγο αυτό, αδυνατεί να κατανοήσει πληροφορίες που έχουν δει το φως της δημοσιότητας σχετικά με παρακολουθήσεις, μεταξύ άλλων, και ελληνικών διπλωματικών αποστολών από Υπηρεσίες φίλης και συμμαχικής χώρας.


    Το περιεχόμενο των εν λόγω δημοσιογραφικών αναφορών, η διερεύνηση των οποίων έχει ήδη ξεκινήσει από τις αρμόδιες ελληνικές Υπηρεσίες, θα εξετασθεί με προσοχή.

    Εξυπακούεται ότι, αναλόγως θα ζητηθούν και οι αναγκαίες διευκρινίσεις».
    www.mfa.gr
    1/7/13

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