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French president holds emergency meeting over NSA intercepts

French president holds emergency meeting over NSA intercepts

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE - In this June 22, 2015, file photo, French President Francois Hollande speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels. WikiLeaks published documents late Tuesday, June 23, 2015, that it says show the U.S. National Security Agency eavesdropped on the last three French presidents, Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac, releasing material which appeared to capture officials in Paris talking candidly about Greece's economy, relations with Germany u2014 and, ironically, American espionage. AP

  PARIS: French President Francois Hollande is holding an emergency meeting with the country's top security officials to respond to WikiLeaks documents saying that the US National Security Agency eavesdropped on the last three French presidents. A French presidential aide said Wednesday's meeting was convened to evaluate the information released and draw relevant conclusions. The aide was not authorized to be publicly named. The documents published in French daily newspaper Liberation and investigative website Mediapart late Tuesday include material that appeared to capture officials in Paris talking candidly about Greece's economy and relations with Germany. The release came as the French Parliament prepares to vote later today on a bill allowing broad new surveillance powers, in particular to counter terrorist threats.