SPYING IS NOT UNUSUAL. IS OBAMA RIGHT?

SPYING IS NOT UNUSUAL. IS OBAMA RIGHT?

News item:  European officials lash out at new NSA spying report  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57591678/european-officials-lash-out-at-new-nsa-spying-report/

America is extending its right to spy on its own citizens to the right to spy on their closest allies: the European Union does not like it any.

American policy on  the right to spy on their allies may result negatively on their interests. The European nations look at it with shock and considered it as “unfriendly”. It may gain more enemies than friends.

"If the media reports are accurate, then this recalls the methods used by enemies during the Cold War," Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, German Minister of Justice said in a statement to The Associated Press.

"It is beyond comprehension that our friends in the United States see Europeans as enemies," she said, calling for an "immediate and comprehensive" response from the U.S. government to the claims.

Other European officials demanded an explanation from the U.S.

"I am deeply worried and shocked about the allegations," European Parliament President Martin Schulz said in a statement, according to CNN. "If the allegations prove to be true, it would be an extremely serious matter which will have a severe impact on EU-US relations. On behalf of the European Parliament, I demand full clarification and require further information speedily from the U.S. authorities with regard to these allegations."

Italy's defense minister Mario Mauro said it was "unacceptable" if reports were confirmed that the United States spied on the diplomatic offices of the European Union and several countries, including Italy. "We have to call things what they are: if we're allies, it is unacceptable that someone behaves that way," said Mario Mauro. Speaking at a forum hosted by Italian daily La Repubblica, the defence minister suggested the affair could force the EU to take a bold position. "Perhaps for the first time we'll see if such a thing as European foreign policy exists," he said. 

France warned on Monday that allegations of Washington spying on its European allies were threatening talks on a crucial free trade pact. French President Francois Hollande earlier demanded answers from Washington about reports that the US National Security Agency (NSA) bugged European offices and embassies. "We cannot accept this kind of behaviour between partners and allies. There can be no negotiations or transactions in all areas until we have obtained these guarantees, for France but also for all of the European Union." Pres. Hollande said further.

US spying on EU missions and the embassies of European countries were based on a report published Sunday by German weekly Der Spiegel. It claimed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) bugged diplomats from allies such as the EU offices in Brussels, New York and Washington, as well as embassies of countries such as Italy, Greece and France. 

One may ask who gave the US the right to know the color of Merkel’s panties, and more.

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