Spain demands details of US eavesdropping

Published October 28, 2013
A protester marches with a piece of tape covering his mouth during the Stop Watching Us Rally protesting surveillance by the NSA on October 26, 2013 in Washington, D.C. —AFP Photo
A protester marches with a piece of tape covering his mouth during the Stop Watching Us Rally protesting surveillance by the NSA on October 26, 2013 in Washington, D.C. —AFP Photo

MADRID: Spain urged the United States on Monday to give details of any eavesdropping, saying new reports of mass telephone surveillance in the country would be “unacceptable” if proven to be true.

The Spanish foreign ministry said it delivered the message to the US ambassador to Spain, James Costos, just hours after the publication of a leaked document purportedly showing that the US security services tracked 60.5 million Spanish telephone calls in a single month.

According to the leaked document published in Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the National Security Agency tracked the origin and destination of the calls and their duration.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald, who jointly authored the article, said he had access to the previously secret documents obtained by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.

The reported spying in Spain adds to a gathering scandal over US eavesdropping on ordinary citizens and world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose calls may have been intercepted as early as 2002, according to the German press.

The graph published in El Mundo showed the daily volume of calls traced in the 30 days to January 8, 2013. Initials at the top of the page included DNR, or dialed number recognition, according to the article.

The NSA tracked the origin, destination and duration of telephone calls – a criminal offence in Spain without the proper legal authority – but not the content, the paper said.

One a single day, December 11, the NSA tracked more than 3.5 million calls on Spanish soil, the peak in the 30-day period covered by the graph.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said last week he had no evidence that Spain had been spied but was calling in the US ambassador to seek information.

At a summit last week, the 28 European Union leaders approved a statement which said they valued the relationship with the United States but it had to be based on trust and confidence, especially in intelligence matters.

France and Germany are to lead efforts to reach a new understanding with Washington by the end of this year.

Rajoy had said that for the moment, Spain would not join Berlin and Paris in this effort and reiterated that intelligence issues were the responsibility of national governments, not the EU.

Opinion

Editorial

Slow start
Updated 15 Jun, 2024

Slow start

Despite high attendance, the NA managed to pass only a single money bill during this period.
Sindh lawlessness
Updated 15 Jun, 2024

Sindh lawlessness

A recently released report describes the law and order situation in Karachi as “worryingly poor”.
Punjab budget
15 Jun, 2024

Punjab budget

PUNJAB’S budget for 2024-25 provides much fodder to those who believe that the increased provincial share from the...
Budget and politics
Updated 14 Jun, 2024

Budget and politics

PML-N, scared of taking bold steps lest it loses whatever little public support it has, has left its traditional support — traders — virtually untouched.
New talks?
14 Jun, 2024

New talks?

WILL this prove another false start, or may we expect a more sincere effort this time? Reference is made to the...
A non-starter
14 Jun, 2024

A non-starter

WHILE the UN Security Council had earlier this week adopted a US-backed resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza...