The United States was Å“misusing” a decades-old spying treaty it had with Germany, a sign of how the US tramples on the rights of countries, according to an American investigative reporter.
On Friday, Germany canceled a surveillance agreement it had with the US and Britain from the 1960â„¢s in reaction to the spying practices of the US National Security Agency, which was revealed by American whistle blower Edward Snowden in June.
Secret documents obtained by German magazine Der Spiegel from Snowden in June showed that the US has spied on various EU institutions and offices.
Å“This is another example of the fallout from the Snowden revelations,” David Lindorff said on Saturday.
Å“What weâ„¢re seeing is how the US has trampled on the rights of countries all around the world with this kind of NSA spying,” Lindorff said.
He added that although some German leaders, including Chancellor Angela Merkel supported the spying, they cancelled the treaty due to public outrage and to show voters theyâ„¢re taking the issue seriously.
Å“The cancellation of the administrative agreements, which we have pushed for in recent weeks, is a necessary and proper consequence of the recent debate about protecting personal privacy,” German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement.
Observers say the cancellation appears largely symbolic and isnâ„¢t likely to prevent future intelligence gathering inside Germany by the US.
Å“The US has basically implied that itâ„¢s not going to stop the spying even though the treaty has been abrogated, Lindorff said. Å“Thatâ„¢s astonishing. Itâ„¢s just in your face we donâ„¢t care.”
AHT/ARA
Republished from: Press TV