German chancellor Angela Merkel today warned it would be “unacceptable” for America to spy on the EU as the row over intelligence leaks by whistleblower Edward Snowden escalated.
In a sign of the anger in European capitals, Berlin also stressed that “mutual trust” was needed to forge a historic EU-US trade deal.
“If it is confirmed that diplomatic representations of the European Union and individual European countries have been spied upon, we will clearly say that bugging friends is unacceptable,” said Ms Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert. “We are no longer in the Cold War.”
French foreign minister Laurent Fabius has also said it would be “completely unacceptable” if it is proved that America was spying on EU premises in New York and Washington.
It has been claimed that US citizen Mr Snowden, 30, currently in Russia, could seek asylum in Venezuela.
