German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office asked the US ambassador to come on Thursday to discuss new allegations of NSA spying – unveiled by Wikileaks, which threaten to drive a new wedge through transatlantic ties.
In the latest eruption in a nearly two-year rift over illicit espionage, a German government source said “US ambassador (John) Emerson was invited to the chancellery to talk”, confirming a report by the Frankfurter Allgemeine daily that said Merkel’s chief of staff Peter Altmaier had requested the meeting.
The US embassy had no immediate comment, but news agency DPA quoted an unnamed German government official as saying the meeting would take place in a “crisis atmosphere”.
German media had reported on Wednesday that new documents released by whistleblowing website WikiLeaks appear to show the United States did not just tap Merkel’s mobile phone but also eavesdropped on several ministers.
