French President Francoise Hollande has described Wikileaks' revelations that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) spied on three French presidents as "unacceptable."
Wikileaks on Tuesday revealed that the NSA spied on three French presidents: Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and Hollande, from 2006 to 2012.
"France will not tolerate actions that threaten its security and the protection of its interests. Commitments were made by the US authorities. They need to be recalled and strictly respected," Hollande's office said in a statement issued after an emergency meeting of the country's Defence Council on Wednesday, according to Russia Today.
Wikileaks said its Espionnage Elyspee documents also contain the "selectors" from the target list, detailing the cell phone numbers of numerous officials in the Elysee up to and including the direct cell phone of the president. The NSA has classified relevant leaked files as top secret. Wikileaks has published NSA's top secret files in partnership with French newspaper Liberation and the Mediapart website.
"The revelation of the extent of US spying against French leaders and diplomats echoes a previous disclosure in the German press concerning US spying on the communications of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other German officials. That disclosure provoked a political scandal in Germany, eventuating in an official inquiry into German intelligence co-operation with the United States, which is still ongoing," the global transparency website said in a press release.
French foreign minister Laurent Fabius has also summoned the U.S. ambassador Jane Hartley in France over the Wikileaks documents, reported France 24.
Following the Wikileaks revelations, the United States issued a statement assuring that it is not targeting the French president.
"We are not targeting and will not target the communications of President Hollande," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said, according to the Associated Press.
"As a general matter, we do not conduct any foreign intelligence surveillance activities unless there is a specific and validated national security purpose. This applies to ordinary citizens and world leaders alike," Price told German news agency DPA.
