Senate speaker says Biden ‘recognises’ Italy’s spying alarm
(see related) (ANSA) – Washington, October 25 – Italian Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso said Friday that United States Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged Italy’s alarm about reports US intelligence agency NSA spied on foreign governments, including the administration in Rome.
“Joe Biden recognised our concerns and said he was willing to discuss in detail the terms of our cooperation on anti-terrorism issues,” Grasso said after a meeting with Biden in Washington.
Grasso said there was no evidence so far that the US had broken Italian law, adding that Biden had confirmed that Washington was willing to “review” its data-acquisition procedures.
He also said that he hoped the turmoil caused by the spying furore did not affect negotiations for a EU-US free-trade deal.
“I think it is necessary to continue the talks to be able to achieve a free-trade treaty between the EU and the USA,” Grasso told reporters. “It’s an important agreement for both sides of the Atlantic”.