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German interior minister to clarify BND-NSA affair

Xinhua, May 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Monday defended himself against accusations in connection with the BND-NSA affair, saying he would clarify this case on Wednesday at a parliament committee in charge of the work of secret services.

De Maiziere made the remarks while attending a meeting of the heads of German security authorities in Berlin, German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine reported on its website.

The minister again denied any wrongdoings related to the affair, and opted for a stronger international cooperation of intelligence services in the fight against terrorism.

According to a report published by Spiegel Online, Germany's Foreign Intelligence Service (BND) has targeted European interests for surveillance on behalf of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) for years.

Germany's ruling coalition is facing growing pressure over the scandal. At its center is De Maiziere, who is accused of having known about the alleged illegal U.S. spying activities in 2008 while he was chief of staff of the German Chancellery.

German parliamentary investigators have asked the government to provide a draft of the U.S. spy lists while the opposition has threatened a lawsuit.

The parliament is set to discuss the scandal on Wednesday. BND chief Gerhard Schindler has been invited to give "witness" testimony at a meeting of the parliament's committee on the NSA affair on Thursday. Endit