Obama informed of Merkel surveillance

US President Barack Obama was personally informed of mobile phone tapping against German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which may have begun as early as 2002, German media reported on Sunday.

Bild am Sonntag newspaper quoted US intelligence sources as saying that National Security Agency chief Keith Alexander had briefed Obama on the operation against Merkel in 2010.

"Obama did not halt the operation but rather let it continue," the newspaper quoted a high-ranking NSA official as saying.

Meanwhile, newsweekly Der Spiegel reported ahead of its Monday issue that leaked NSA documents showed Merkel's phone had appeared on a list of spying targets since 2002, and was still under surveillance weeks before Obama visited Berlin in June.

The spying row has prompted European leaders to demand a new deal with Washington on intelligence gathering that would maintain an essential alliance while keeping the fight against terrorism on track.

Germany's interior minister meanwhile is pressing for "complete information" from Washington on the alleged US surveillance and snooping.

Merkel complained to Obama on Wednesday after receiving information her phone may have been monitored. German spy chiefs plan to travel to Washington for talks.

Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich was quoted on Sunday as telling newspaper Bild am Sonntag he wants "complete information on all accusations" and that "if the Americans intercepted cellphones in Germany, they broke German law on German soil". He added wiretapping is a crime and "those responsible must be held accountable".

AFP-AP