Paris:
Media reports alleging that the US spied on top rated politicians in Europe with the assist of Danish intelligence are “extremely serious” if verified, the French government stated on Monday.
“It is extremely serious, we need to see if our partners in the EU, the Danes, have committed errors or faults in their cooperation with American services,” Europe Minister Clement Beaune told France Info radio.
He added it would also be incredibly severe if it turned out Washington had been spying on EU leaders.
“Between allies, there must be trust, a minimal cooperation, so these potential facts are serious,” stated the minister.
He stated the information need to 1st “be verified” and then “conclusions drawn in terms of cooperation.”
Danish and European media, like France’s Le Monde, reported on Sunday that the US spied on top rated politicians in Europe, like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, from 2012 to 2014 with the assist of Danish intelligence.
The US National Security Agency (NSA) had taken benefit of a surveillance collaboration with Denmark’s military intelligence unit FE to do so, it stated.
“This is not something that should be played down,” Beaune stated, when acknowledging that equivalent allegations had emerged back in 2013 that the United States had spied on Merkel.
“We are not in some kind of cuddly world so this kind of behaviour can unfortunately happen,” he stated.
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