Merkel to testify before German parliament panel probing NSA

Merkel to testify before German parliament panel probing NSA | iNFOnews.ca
German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a joint press conference with the President of Uruguay, Tabare Vazquez Rosas, as part of a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to testify before a German parliamentary panel investigating U.S. intelligence activities in the country.

The inquiry was launched a year after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed details of secret U.S. eavesdropping programs in 2013. The panel is investigating alleged eavesdropping in Germany by the U.S. National Security Agency and its relationship with German counterparts.

Reports that the NSA had listened in on German government phones — including Merkel’s — prompted a diplomatic spat between Berlin and Washington that soured otherwise good relations with the Obama administration.

The panel’s calendar listed Merkel’s testimony for next Thursday.

Her chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, and her top intelligence adviser, Klaus-Dieter Fritsche, are due to testify before the cross-party panel on Monday.

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