COPENHAGEN: Many European countries need Denmark to describe why its foreign spy service purportedly helped the United States spy European leaders, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, over seven decades back.
“We need the cards to the desk,” explained Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hulqvist, adding it was”unsuitable to eavesdrop on allies” Danish lawmaker Karsten Hoenge of those left-leaning Socialist People’s Party, that is encouraging Denmark’s Social Democratic administration, said Monday that he’d quiz the country’s justice and defense ministers in parliament regarding the situation.
“The authorities must clarify how come Denmark was acting as a ready instrument to get a US intelligence support, and what it’ll mean for collaboration with Denmark’s neighboring nations,” he explained.
The Danish broadcaster DR stated Sunday the Danish Defense Intelligence Service, called Denmark by its own acronym FE, at 2014 ran an internal investigation into whether the US National Security Agency had employed its collaboration with all the Danes to commend against Denmark and neigboring states.
The research concluded that NSA had eavesdropped on leaders and officials at Germany, France, Sweden and Norway.
Mr Prime Minister Erna Solberg stated it was”improper if nations that have shut allied alliance needs to feel the need to spy on each other obtain info about them” Spying on other people”generates more mistrust as it generates cooperation.
Therefore, it is not a intelligent investment to the USA,” she informed the Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
In accordance with DR, the alleged installment between the USA and Denmark had been codenamed”Operation Dunhammer.
” It allegedly permitted the NSA to get data using the phone numbers of politicians as search parameters.
DR said that its report was based on interviews with nine distinct sources, all of whom were believed to have had access to classified information held by the FE.
The military service allegedly aided the NSA out of 2012 to 2014.
Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Monday that”the German government has taken notice of their reporting.
It’s in contact with relevant national and worldwide government for caution.
” Seibert stated Merkel learned about the newest spying record because of queries from journalists.
Reports in 2013 the NSA listened in on German authorities telephones, such as Merkel’s, prompted a diplomatic gap between Berlin and Washington that appeared excellent relations with Barack Obama’s government.
Merkel in the time announced that”spying one of buddies” was improper.
However, there were reports that Germany’s very own BND intelligence agency might have aided the US spy on European businesses and officials.
Former NSA builder Edward Snowden, that disclosed details of the key US eavesdropping applications in 2013, responded to this DR report using a humorous discussion in Danish:”Oh, why did not anybody warn us” At a written comment to DR, Danish Defense Minister Trine Bramsen stated the authorities cannot talk about intelligence issues.
She included that the current government has”exactly the identical perspective” because the former Social Democratic government headed by Helle Thorning-Schmidt who had been in power throughout this period:”the orderly wiretapping of allies is improper.
” During August, Bramsen alleviated that the mind of the nation’s foreign intelligence agency, amongst others, following an independent watchdog heavily criticized the spy service for intentionally withholding data and separating diplomatic laws.
Denmark contains two intelligence agencies, the National Defense Intelligence Service, that can be in charge of military intelligence, along with the national Security and Intelligence Service, known by its own ministry PET.
Query for Denmark: Why Would the US allegedly eavesdrop?
