EU parliament calls US to end spying as launches investigation

The European Parliament on Thursday strongly condemned alleged US spying on European Union offices in Washington and Brussels, but stopped short of calling for the suspension of trade talks with the United States, dpa reported.

The legislature decided to launch its own investigation, hours after the EU's executive said it would probe the allegations with its US partners as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) went ahead.

The trade talks are due to start in Washington on Monday - a timetable that was briefly put into question by the US spying allegations made public by fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden.

But the trade talks would not depend directly on the outcome of investigations into the espionage claims, said European Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde.

France and Italy have joined countries rejecting Snowden's asylum application.

They are among 21 countries to which Snowden applied for asylum, according to whistleblowing website Wikileaks.

A number, including Germany, have already turned him down.

Snowden is believed to be still at Russia's Sheremetyevo Airport, where he arrived from Hong Kong on June 23. He is wanted by the US for espionage.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the spying allegations with US President Barack Obama during a telephone conversation late Wednesday.

Merkel welcomed Obama's recent pledge to provide information on the allegations, her office said.


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