Non-Apology Tour: US Lawmakers in Berlin over NSA Scandal

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http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/us-lawmakers-in-berlin-over-nsa-spying-scandal-a-935664.html



The Obama administration dispatched two lawmakers to Berlin this week to help ease concerns about the NSA spying scandal. Yet the word "sorry" never crossed their lips.

Non-Apology Tour: US Lawmakers in Berlin over NSA Scandal
By Raniah Salloum
November 26, 2013 – 12:36 PM

Under normal circumstances, it would have been a pleasant evening: Trans-Atlantic partners have a drink together, chat about world politics and reassure each other about how much they value their relationship. Yet the National Security Agency spying scandal turned a visit by two US representatives to Berlin on Monday into an excruciating session of couples therapy, with serious accusations on both sides.

The two-man delegation, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, both Democrats, were sent by Washington to get a feel for the sentiment in Berlin ahead of a potential visit by Secretary of State John Kerry to greet a new German government.

For decades, Germany thought of itself as a close partner of Washington. Then, as the extent of the NSA's surveillance became clear, it was abruptly forced to draw a new conclusion: Germany is a third-class ally that the US trusts so little that it monitors German phone calls, emails and text messages. It even tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone.

"We understand the depth of the damage that has been done," said Senator Murphy, 40, an up-and-coming politician with foreign policy ambitions. Speaking later at the Bertelsmann Stiftung think tank, he acknowledged European skepticism over President Barack Obama's orders to review US surveillance practices. "I know to many this looks like window-dressing," he said. "But this president is sincere."