Germany and France Propose Talks With U.S. to Rein In Spying

Germany and France Propose Talks to Rein In U.S. Spying

By JAMES KANTER and ALAN COWELL 11:24 AM ET

The offer to hold talks is an attempt to agree on rules for surveillance operations, and to ease a dispute over eavesdropping by the United States that has plunged its relations with Europe to a low poin

• Allegation of Spying on Merkel Puts Obama at Crossroads
  

  By JAMES KANTER and ALAN COWELL

  Published: October 25, 20

  BRUSSELS — The leaders of Germany and France offered on Friday to hold talks with the United States in an effort to come up with mutually acceptable rules for surveillance operations, easing a trans-Atlantic spying dispute that has plunged relations between America and Europe to a low point.

  Enlarge This Image

  

  John Thys/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

  Chancellor Angela Merkel at a news conference in Brussels on Friday.

  Related

  • Indignation Over U.S. Spying Spreads in Europe (October 25, 2013)

  • Allegation of U.S. Spying on Merkel Puts Obama at Crossroads (October 25, 2013)

  Related in Opinion

  • Room for Debate: If We're Spying, Are We Still 'Allies'? (October 24, 2013)

  A day earlier, fury over reports that American intelligence agents had monitored the cellphone of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany spread to other European leaders and prompted calls to suspend trade talks with the United States.

  But in a remarkable attack on both Edward J. Snowden, the former American intelligence contractor, and news organizations that have printed classified material he has provided, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain accused them of “helping our enemies” and endangering lives. Mr. Snowden and the newspapers are “signaling to people who mean to do us harm how to evade and avoid intelligence and surveillance and other techniques,” Mr. Cameron said at a news conference in Brussels on Friday.

  While Mr. Cameron said he supported Ms. Merkel and President François Hollande of France in seeking talks with Washington about new rules governing electronic surveillance, he delivered his strongest denunciation so far of those involved in publishing leaked material.

  “That is not going to make our world safer, it’s going to make our world more dangerous,” he said. “That is helping our enemies.” He was speaking after a summit meeting of European leaders that was eclipsed by concern about the extent of American electronic eavesdropping on its allies.

  Those worries could intensify with the publication in The Guardian on Friday of a report that as long ago as October 2006, the National Security Agency, the American agency Mr. Snowden once worked for, had monitored the telephone conversations of 35 world leaders. The assertion emerged in what the newspaper described as a classified document he had leaked.

  The article did not identify the leaders but said their phone numbers had been provided by other American officials in response to a request from the N.S.A. to share their contacts with intelligence gatherers.

  In Brussels, Mr. Cameron deflected questions about any role played by Britain’s intelligence agencies, beyond saying that they shared information with European allies and were subject to oversight.

  But he dwelled at length on the behavior of Mr. Snowden and newspapers publishing material provided by him. In the past, Mr. Cameron has singled out The Guardian, accusing it of endangering national security.

  “The first priority of a prime minister is to help try and keep your country safe,” he said. Referring dismissively to his adversaries in the debate over the balance between privacy and national security, he continued: “That means not having some la-di-da, airy-fairy view about what this all means. It’s understanding intelligence and security services do an important job.”

  “Yes they need to be governed under law, yes they must be scrutinized by Parliament, but we need those people,” he said. “I’ve lost count of the plots that I have seen and the problems that I have seen being avoided by the work they do.”

  Earlier, seeking to rebuild trust between Europeans and the United States, Ms. Merkel said at an early morning news conference in Brussels that a pact should be agreed to by the end of the year that ends the kind of surveillance that was made public by Mr. Snowden.

  The aim is to “come to a common understanding of the services between the United States and Germany and France so that we put down a framework for cooperation,” Ms. Merkel said after European Union leaders ended a first day of talks.

  In a joint statement, the 28 European Union leaders at the two-day meeting “took note of the intention of France and Germany to seek bilateral talks” with the United States. The leaders also “noted that other E.U. countries are welcome to join this initiative,” which they said “underlined the close relationship between Europe and the U.S.A. and the value of that partnership.” 

    The revelations about the eavesdropping on Ms. Merkel follow reports of extensive American electronic surveillance in France and suggestions that American and British intelligence services monitored and are probably still monitoring Italian telecommunications networks.

  
  

  But in a further sign of a willingness to defuse the dispute, Ms. Merkel said the leaders meeting in Brussels had not talked about interrupting negotiations with the United States to reach a landmark trade deal aimed at reducing tariffs and aligning regulations.

  “I always take the view that when you leave the room, you have to always contemplate how to get back in again,” said Ms. Merkel, referring to the importance of keeping the trade talks going. “In such a tense situation, such talks may be even more important than usual.”

  Asked whether she wanted an apology from the United States, Ms. Merkel said, “The most important thing at this juncture is to find a basis for the future” so that “trust can be rebuilt.” But she warned the United States that “words will not be sufficient” to make amends, adding, “It’s become clear for the future that things have to change, and they have to change radically.”

  She also suggested that the door had been left open to a possible suspension of an agreement with the United States that allows it to track the finances of terrorist groups. Lawmakers at the European Parliament voted earlier this week to suspend the agreement because of suspicions that the United States authorities were tapping European citizens’ personal financial data.

  That agreement is important to Washington because it allows the American authorities to continue having access to European banking data from a cooperative responsible for routing trillions of dollars daily among banks, brokerage houses, stock exchanges and other institutions. The cooperative, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or Swift, is based near Brussels. It provided the United States with personal data after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

  “I have a certain understanding for the position of the European Parliament,” Ms. Merkel said. Approval by the European Union’s member states is required for the resolution to take effect.

  Some European Union officials have seized on the latest revelations about United States snooping as a way to give new momentum to a fiercely contested proposal that could require American companies like Google and Yahoo to seek clearance from European officials before complying with United States warrants seeking private data.

  The legislation would also seek to bolster privacy protection in Europe with fines on the biggest technology companies that could run to billions of euros if the companies fail to adhere to rules like those limiting the sharing of personal data.

  The proposal has met with fierce opposition from business groups in the United States and Europe. Countries like Britain have pushed strongly to delay any final decision rather than endorse the deadline of spring 2014 called for by European Union officials and lawmakers to adopt the rules.

  The British view appeared to have prevailed by Friday morning. In their statement, the 28 leaders agreed that it was “important to foster the trust of citizens and businesses in the digital economy,” but said adopting the privacy rules by 2015 would be sufficient. Copy http://www.nytimes.com