Smith says US spying an 'unforgivable abuse of power’

Seamus Enright

Fianna Fail Deputy Brendan Smith has labelled recent allegations the US Government engaged in surveillance at European Union offices as an “unforgivable abuse of power” and, if found to be true, called on the Government to seek clarification as to why it occurred.
Speaking in the Dáil last week, Deputy Smith was among a number of TDs who spoke on the matter of US Surveillance Activity.
Reports in a German publication and The Guardian newspaper that the National Security Agency bugged offices of the European Union and routinely scanned millions of emails, phone calls and text messages in individual member states caused controversy and attracted widespread condemnation.
According to NSA files, countries in the EU are viewed as a potential “third-party” partner.
Deputy Smith said it was a “most disappointing development” if found to be true, stated there was no way but to view the intrusion as a “gross breach of trust” and an “unforgivable abuse of power” by the US against EU member nations.
“This has, without question, the potential to damage the vital European Union-United States relationship on which so much relies at a particularly sensitive time in the negotiations on the transatlantic trade agreement. It also undermines the credibility of the United States in taking a strong stand against cyber-espionage, particularly from China.

Unacceptable
“These revelations, if true, show that the United States has engaged in actions which are most unacceptable and certainly not good diplomacy. These actions have provoked a feeling of justifiable hurt on this side of the Atlantic as Europeans are being targeted by unwarranted surveillance for unknown objectives. As allies and supporters of the United States, European countries and the institutions of the European Union deserve more respect than that”, Deputy Smith told the Dáil.
He called on the Government to seek urgent clarity on the situation and asked if the Tánaiste had been in contact with his EU colleagues to discuss how best to approach the revelations and deal with them without delay.
Minister of State for Trade and Development Joe Costello responded to the local deputy’s concerns, saying it is not the practice to comment in detail on surveillance and security issues and that the Minister for Justice and Equality has primary responsibility in this area.
Minister Costello said there is a comprehensive legal regime in place to deal with these matters in this jurisdiction under the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011. He added that the relationship between the US and Europe continues to be of vital strategic, political and economic importance and that Ireland continues to enjoy a close bilateral political and economic relationship with the US.