Germany Begins "Spying on US, UK Intelligence Gathering"
Amid revelations of extensive American surveillance on the German soil, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Head of Staff Peter Altmaier reached an agreement with foreign and interior ministers on a new counter-surveillance strategy, the 360 degree view, the Financial Times reports.
It is for the first time since 1945 that Germany has ordered surveillance of British and American spies on its soil, according to The Telegraph. It has been learnt that under the pronouncement, U.S and British intelligence operations in Germany will face the same counter-espionage measures as those of Russia, China and Iran.
"We need to send a strong signal," Chancellor Merkel told Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. The newspaper further details that the strategy's name "360 degree view" means that in place of a focus on Russia, China and Iran, domestic intelligence officers would broaden their activities to include the US and other allies.
A series of spying scandals has made Germany's relations with Britain and America bitter. Last year, it was revealed that the US and Britain used their Berlin embassies as "listening posts" to monitor the German government. The US went a step ahead; the NSA eavesdropped on Merkel's mobile phone calls too. On several occasions, Merkel expressed that she was "not amused" by the revelations.
US President Barack Obama's chief of staff Denis McDonough, along with White House's counter-terrorism adviser Lisa Monaco, held talks with Altmaier in Berlin only two days ago, discussing "the full range of issues, including intelligence and security matters."
According to The Independent, both sides set up "guiding principles" that would supervise the relationship between their respective intelligence agencies. During the visit, the US side flatly ruled out any "no spy" agreement.
