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 The latest revelations of espionage among Western allies come
after it emerged the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) had spied
on Germany and that Germany's own BND intelligence agency had
cooperated with the NSA to spy on officials and companies elsewhere
in Europe.
Hollande held an emergency meeting of his ministers and army
commanders after revelations the NSA had spied on the last three
French presidents. Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said a
senior French intelligence official would be dispatched to the
United States to confirm the spying is over.
"France will not tolerate actions that threaten its security and the
protection of its interests," a statement from the president's
office said, adding it was not the first time that allegations of
U.S. spying on French interests had surfaced.
"Commitments were made by the U.S. authorities. They need to be
recalled and strictly respected."
The French Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador. After
meeting Hollande, lawmakers told reporters the French leader had
informed them he would speak with President Barack Obama later in
the day.
A statement from the U.S. National Security Council said it was not
targeting and would not target Hollande's communications but did not
say whether spying had taken place in the past.
"We have to verify this spying has finished," Le Foll told
reporters, adding that ministers were told to be careful when
speaking on their mobile phones.
"Between allies this is unacceptable and incomprehensible. France
does not spy on its allies."
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, lambasted France's tough stance in talks
over Iran's nuclear program.
MORE DOCUMENTS TO COME
The revelations were first reported by French daily Liberation and
on news website Mediapart, which said the NSA spied on presidents
Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande during the
period of at least 2006 until May 2012.
According to the documents, Sarkozy considered restarting
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks without U.S. involvement and
Hollande feared a Greek euro zone exit back in 2012.
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Le Foll said Paris had not decided whether to launch legal
proceedings as Germany had done but, amid calls from some quarters
for retaliation, played down diplomatic consequences.
"In the face of threats that we face and given the historic ties
linking us, we have to keep a perspective," he said. "We're not
going to break diplomatic ties."
Germany's top public prosecutor closed a year-long probe earlier
this month into the suspected tapping of Chancellor Angela Merkel's
cell phone by U.S. spies.
Claude Gueant, Sarkozy's former chief of staff and one of the
reported targets of the NSA, told RTL radio: "I feel like trust has
been broken."
The documents included summaries of conversations between French
officials on the global financial crisis, the future of the European
Union, ties between Hollande's administration and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel's government.
The documents also contained cell phone numbers of officials in the
Elysee presidential palace, including the cell phone of the
president, WikiLeaks said.
Ironically, the French parliament will adopt on Wednesday an
intelligence bill to enhance counter-terrorism activities. It waives
the need for judicial warrants to deploy phone taps, hidden
microphones, cameras and other devices.
Critics say the law permits activities similar to the widespread
intelligence-gathering exposed by former National Security Agency
contractor Edward Snowden.
(Additional reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Catherine Evans)
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