Rutte Probably Not Monitored
Prime Minister Mark Rutte has no clues if he has been monitored by the NSA. He announced that on Thursday in Brussels where he is attending the Euro Top.
On Thursday the news came out that Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has been monitored by the NSA. She was very angry about this.
Rutte says that if this is true, it is a very serious matter. We will have to investigate this thoroughly and take steps according to the outcome. Especially among allies it is important to find out what exactly happened.
35 World leaders monitored
The case of Merkel is one out of 35. A memo from 2006, made public by bell ringer Snowden shows that the NSA received 200 telephone numbers from world leaders, foreign politicians and diplomats.
This news will put a lot of pressure on the relationship of the US and its allies.
Netherlands
MPs in the House are shocked by the news of the eavesdropping NSA. Jeroen Recourt, PvdA MP, says that this is absolutely outrageous. Although most information seems to focus on Germany, Brussels and Luxemburg, Recourt says that it is very likely that the Netherlands were also monitored. "Especially when it comes to economic espionage, there is much to get in the Netherlands."
Rutte says that the Dutch government is investigating if the Netherlands were monitored by the NSA. The investigation is not focused on him being monitored. Rutte didn't want to say if his cell phone is protected against monitoring by foreign nations.