German parliament to hold special session on alleged US spying

The German parliament will hold a special session in November on alleged US spying that included monitoring of mobile phone communications of Chancellor Angela Merkel, the chancellor's party said Monday. Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democrats have agreed to hold the special session on Nov. 18 to address the possible U.S. spying on the mobile phone communications of the German chancellor. There have been calls for a special parliamentary investigative committee on the spying accusations, with some deputies demanding to summon whistleblower Edward Snowden to act as a witness. Germany's Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger told local media on Monday that the German Federal Prosecutor's Office will have to consider the possibility of interrogating Snowden as a witness if suspicions on the spying prove correct and a case is opened. Snowden, a former U.S. intelligence contractor, provided classified documents with evidence of the alleged spying scandal. German newspaper Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported on Sunday that U.S. President Barack Obama was aware of the alleged monitoring of mobile phone communications of Merkel years ago, but the claim was denied by the U.S. side. The German government has voiced its anger at possible U.S. intelligence's tapping of Merkel's phone, saying it would be "a serious breach of trust" if confirmed. High-ranking representatives of German security services as well as the chancellery will travel to Washington this week to seek clarifications of widespread spying allegations, German government spokesman Georg Streiter said on Friday. The German representatives are due to hold talks with White House officials as well as representatives of the NSA, the spokesman told reporters on Friday.