Merkel angrily blasts U.S. over new spying allegations

Merkel angrily blasts U.S. over new spying allegations
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Angela Merkel made her feelings toward Washington clear in an interview on German broadcaster ZDF today, reports Reuters.

"We are not living in the Cold War anymore," Merkel said. "We should concentrate on what is essential."

Germany's government told Berlin's CIA station chief to leave the country on Thursday, in the wake of new allegations of U.S. spying in the country. Of two suspected spies discovered by German officials, one reportedly worked for German foreign intelligence, while the other operated within the country's defense ministry.

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"It is not about how angry I was (over the new allegations)," Merkel said today. "For me, it is a sign that we have fundamentally different conceptions of the work of the intelligence services…The important thing is to show how we view things…and it is not a co-operative partnership when such things take place."

The latest revelation comes a year after documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden showed widespread surveillance on Germany by U.S. agents — even allegations that Merkel's personal phone had been bugged.

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