Germany Says no Word on whether CIA Chief Has Left
The German government said Monday it had no information on whether the Berlin CIA station chief it ordered out of the country last week had left yet.
Germany made the shock decision Thursday to kick out the U.S. spy chief in the country after two alleged German double agents working for the United States were unmasked.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Sawsan Chebli told reporters that because the man in question was accredited as a diplomat, under normal procedure Berlin would be informed when he had left.
She said that should he stay in Germany beyond an undefined deadline, the government could still formally expel him.
"We communicated our position very clearly, we said that he must leave the country as soon as possible. That is still valid," Chebli said.
"We have no information that he has left the country. If he has not the left the country, there is still the possibility of beginning a formal procedure against him."
She said the ministry had the option of declaring the man persona non grata, in which case he would have to leave Germany within 72 hours.
The U.S. embassy in Berlin declined to comment on the official's whereabouts.
"The United States understands the importance of this issue and as a matter of course respects the German government's wishes regarding the accreditation and presence of U.S. diplomats in Germany," an embassy spokeswoman said.
The spying cases came amid mounting anger over revelations of mass U.S. snooping in Germany with targets including Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone.
In a weekend interview, Merkel lamented the breakdown of trust between Germany and the United States and a return to the thinking of the "Cold War era where everyone is suspicious of everyone".
"Here we obviously have different points of view and we need to talk to one another," Merkel said, adding that she had "naturally hoped for a change" in Washington's behavior.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attempted to mend fences Sunday at talks with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Vienna, insisting that the transatlantic allies remain "great friends".
Picture source: Morocco World News
Source: Agence France Presse
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