US President Barack Obama spoke by phone with his French counterpart, Francois Hollande, Monday to discuss recent media reports regarding US intelligence efforts.
“The President and President Hollande discussed recent disclosures in the press – some of which have distorted our activities and some of which raise legitimate questions for our friends and allies about how these capabilities are employed,” said a readout of the call provided by the White House,
The French daily, Le Monde, reported Monday that the National Security Agency (NSA) collected over 70 million French phone calls over a 30-day period based on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
The readout added: “The President made clear that the United States has begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share. The two Presidents agreed that we should continue to discuss these issues in diplomatic channels moving forward.”
Anatolia News Agency
