EU council's President: Europe deeply concerned over US spy scandal

The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, Tuesday said that the 28-member European Union takes the issue of eavesdropping by US secret services in Europe "seriously. "I am confident that the signal given by the EU's Presidents and Prime ministers in their joint statement sends a strong signal across the Atlantic that we take this issue seriously, and that we expect the United States, in the coming days and weeks, to give it proper attention, and the follow-up it requires," he told the European Parliament here this evening. "European citizens are deeply concerned. These worries are fully understandable. A partnership such as the one between Europe and the United States must be based on respect and trust, including as regards the work and cooperation of secret services," said Van Rompuy. "A lack of trust could prejudice the necessary cooperation in the field of intelligence gathering, a field that - as we all know - is such a vital element in the fight against terrorism," he warned. EU leaders last week in Brussels issued a joint statement noting that France and Germany are seeking bilateral talks with the US with the aim of finding, before the end of the year, an understanding on mutual relations in the field of intelligence gathering and to create more clarity on how the US gathers its intelligence.