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Hollande demands 'all information' on German bugging of French foreign minister

The French president said he expected Chancellor Angela Merkel to give 'exact details' over report that German intelligence spied on Laurent Fabius.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

French President François Hollande called on Thursday for German Chancellor Angela Merkel to clarify allegations that Germany had tapped the French foreign minister's phone, reports Deutsche Welle.

"We ask that all the information be given to us," Hollande said. "These kinds of practices should not happen between allies."

The president was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the EU-Africa Summit in Malta. He added that he was confident such spying had stopped, but also said that he wanted to hear the details of what happened from Berlin.

"I know the chancellor will give us the exact details to explain how a minister from the French Republic came to be wiretapped," he said.

The allegations come at an inconvenient time for the German chancellor, who has had to face down criticism over her government's surveillance techniques at home as well as abroad.

This week, a Berlin public radio station reported that the BND, Germany's foreign intelligence service, spied on other governments - including those in Paris and Washington.

The reports are awkward for Merkel as they find her having to fend off the same accusations she leveled at the United States. In 2013, Merkel reacted angrily after information provided by the former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed the NSA had tapped her phone.

Read more of this report from Deutsche Welle.