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French President Hollande berates US over spying claims

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EC:
Via the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24617904


--- Quote ---French President Francois Hollande has expressed "deep disapproval" over claims the US National Security Agency secretly tapped phone calls in France.

In a phone conversation with US President Barack Obama, he said this was "unacceptable between friends and allies", demanding an explanation.

The White House said the claims "raise legitimate questions", seeking to ease French concerns.

The NSA has recently spied on 70.3m phone calls in France, it is claimed.

Officials, businesses and terror suspects are believed to have been tracked in just 30 days between 10 December last year and 8 January 2013.

The allegations were carried in France's Le Monde newspaper and are based on leaks from US ex-intelligence analyst Edward Snowden.
'Challenging task'

John Kerry talked about "protecting the security of our citizens"

The claims prompted President Obama to call his French counterpart to discuss the issue on Monday.

Mr Hollande said that such practices "infringe on the privacy of French citizens" and demanded "explanations" from Mr Obama, according to a statement issued by French presidency.

A White House statement said the two presidents had discussed the latest disclosure, "some of which have distorted our activities and some of which raise legitimate questions for our friends and allies about how these capabilities are employed".
--- End quote ---

More at link, including a video of Kerry, if you can stomach it.

This story is not going away. I know it is fashionable in certain quarters to dismiss the French. That is unwise. They are tough (Have a peek at what Kipling had to say about them) and take personal privacy incredibly seriously.

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