DHAKA: The US National Security Agency (NSA) spied on French Presidents Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande in 2006-12.

WikiLeaks says, reports the BBC.

The whistleblower website cites ‘top secret intelligence reports and technical documents’ from the NSA.

The US would not confirm the veracity of the documents, while Hollande called a defense council meeting on the issue for Wednesday, an aide said.

In 2013 the NSA was accused of spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

On Tuesday, Wikileaks said it began publishing the files under the heading ‘Espionnage Elysee’, a reference to the French presidential palace.

It said the secret files ‘derive from directly targeted NSA surveillance of the communications’ of the three French presidents as well as French ministers and the ambassador to the US.

One of the files, dated 2012, is about Hollande discussing Greece’s possible exit from the eurozone. Another one - from 2011 - alleges that Sarkozy was determined to resume peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, possibly without US involvement.

A file dated 2010 suggests that French officials were aware that the US was spying upon them and intended to complain about it.

BDST: 1330 HRS, JUN 24, 2015
RR