Chancellor Angela Merkel's government on Tuesday brushed aside a report that talks with Washington to prevent further U.S. spying on German ministers faced collapse, saying it continued to push for a deal on the politically explosive issue.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said talks about reaching a "no-spy" agreement were proceeding. He would not comment directly on a Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper report that they were close to failing due to U.S. intransigence.
After reports last year that the National Security Agency (NSA) of one of Germany's closest allies had monitored Merkel's mobile phone, Berlin has sought a sweeping agreement to prevent any repeat of such a humiliation.
De Maiziere said that remained the goal. "That's just not on at all," he told a news conference on Tuesday, referring to reports that Merkel's phone was tapped.
The widely respected Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported the talks were close to collapse because U.S. officials refused to promise that Washington will refrain from eavesdropping on German ministers or other top government officials.
"We're not getting anything," a German BND intelligence agency source was quoted by the Munich daily as saying.
A government source in Berlin told Reuters the United States remained interested in a deal but was loath to give a blanket pledge not to try to monitor government members.
Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Staff at the White House said discussions with Germany so far had yielded "a better understanding of the requirements and concerns that exist on both sides".
Read more: Germany dismisses report no-spy talks with US close to collapse | Reuters
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said talks about reaching a "no-spy" agreement were proceeding. He would not comment directly on a Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper report that they were close to failing due to U.S. intransigence.
After reports last year that the National Security Agency (NSA) of one of Germany's closest allies had monitored Merkel's mobile phone, Berlin has sought a sweeping agreement to prevent any repeat of such a humiliation.
De Maiziere said that remained the goal. "That's just not on at all," he told a news conference on Tuesday, referring to reports that Merkel's phone was tapped.
The widely respected Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported the talks were close to collapse because U.S. officials refused to promise that Washington will refrain from eavesdropping on German ministers or other top government officials.
"We're not getting anything," a German BND intelligence agency source was quoted by the Munich daily as saying.
A government source in Berlin told Reuters the United States remained interested in a deal but was loath to give a blanket pledge not to try to monitor government members.
Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Staff at the White House said discussions with Germany so far had yielded "a better understanding of the requirements and concerns that exist on both sides".
Read more: Germany dismisses report no-spy talks with US close to collapse | Reuters
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