FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2013 file picture the US flag flies on top of the US embassy in front of the Reichstag building that houses the German Parliament, Bundestag, in Berlin, A German official says Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff has asked the U.S. ambassador for a meeting to discuss the latest reports of alleged U.S. spying on Germany. The official says chief of staff Peter Altmaier invited Ambassador John B. Emerson to the chancellery Thursday July 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn,file) (The Associated Press)
BERLIN – A German official says Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff has asked the U.S. ambassador for a meeting to discuss the latest reports of alleged U.S. spying on Germany.
The official says chief of staff Peter Altmaier invited Ambassador John B. Emerson to the chancellery Thursday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn't authorized to publicly announce the meeting.
It comes after WikiLeaks published a list of German phone numbers Wednesday that it claimed showed the U.S. National Security Agency eavesdropped on senior German officials beyond Merkel.
Reports two years ago that the chancellor's cellphone was monitored by the NSA caused diplomatic friction between Berlin and Washington, prompting President Barack Obama to pledge he wouldn't allow America's massive communications surveillance capability to damage relations with close allies.
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