Obama reassures France after ‘unacceptable’ NSA spying

U.S. President Barack Obama reaffirmed in a phone call with his French counterpart, Francois Hollande, on Wednesday Washington’s commitment to end spying practices deemed “unacceptable” by its allies. The presidents’ conversation, announced by Hollande’s office, came after transparency lobby group WikiLeaks revealed on Tuesday that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) had spied on the last three French presidents. The latest revelations of espionage among Western allies came after it emerged that the NSA had spied on Germany and Germany’s own BND intelligence agency had cooperated with the NSA to spy on officials and companies elsewhere in Europe.

France will not tolerate actions that threaten its security and the protection of its interests. Commitments were made by U.S. authorities. They need to be recalled and strictly respected.

Statement from French President Francois Hollande’s office

Hollande had earlier held an emergency meeting of his ministers and army commanders, and the U.S. ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry. While Paris and Washington have good ties in general, U.N. Security Council veto-holder France fiercely maintains its independence on foreign policy, and over the last two years there have been moments of friction and irritation on both sides. Hollande was disappointed by Obama’s last-minute decision not to strike Syrian government positions in 2013. U.S. officials have frequently, in private, criticized France’s tough stance in talks over Iran’s nuclear program.

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