US to respond to EU over spying report via 'diplomatic channels'

WASHINGTON - Agence France-Presse

Protesters in Berlin hold a banner reading 'Yes, We Scan' and posters reading 'Stasi 2.0'depicting U.S. President Barack Obama wearing headphones June 18. AFP photo

The United States said June 30 it will respond to the European Union via diplomatic channels over new allegations of U.S. bugging of EU offices.

"While we are not going to comment publicly on specific alleged intelligence activities, as a matter of policy we have made clear that the United States gathers foreign intelligence of the type gathered by all nations," added a statement from the office of the Director of National Intelligence.

It came after the European Union and key member countries like Germany and France angrily demanded a response to a report in the magazine Der Spiegel drawing on material linked by Edward Snowden that the United States has bugged EU offices in Brussels and the United States.

"The United States Government will respond appropriately to the European Union through our diplomatic channels, and through the EU/U.S. dialogue of intelligence experts that the U.S. proposed several weeks ago," the DNI statement said. "We will also discuss these issues bilaterally with EU member states," it added.