“I would interrupt the negotiations until the Americans say if German government offices and European institutions are bugged or wiretapped,” the Social Democratic leader who is running for chancellor September 22, told ARD public TV on Sunday.
He further lashed out at Merkel’s government for negotiating with Washington about an agreement that will facilitate trade between the EU and US when “we don’t know if the Americans may be sitting under our desks with some technical devices.”
The remarks come amid reports that have shown Germany was the most spied on country in Europe by the NSA.
It was recently revealed that the large-scale surveillance by the NSA was not only for the purpose of security but that the agency also had a financial strategy, as it monitored markets in order to make financial decisions.
Recent reports have also indicated that the NSA explored German market demands as it spied on Germans’ medical records to see which medicines they consumed.
The massive surveillance operations by the NSA was uncovered in June, when former US intelligence contractor, Edward Snowden, leaked two top secret US government spying programs, under which the NSA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are spying on millions of American and European phone records and the Internet data from major Internet companies.
MR/HN
Source Article from http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/26/320502/merkel-rival-says-will-suspend-us-talks/
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