BERLIN (AP) - The German government is conceding that it doesn’t expect to reach agreement with Washington in the foreseeable future on a hoped-for “no-spy” deal.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government sought such an accord following revelations about National Security Agency surveillance, including allegations Merkel’s cellphone was monitored. But President Barack Obama recently said Washington doesn’t have a no-spy agreement with any country and German officials have signaled increasing doubts.
Merkel spokeswoman Christiane Wirtz said Friday negotiations continue “but it cannot be assumed that we will reach an agreed solution in the foreseeable future.”
Merkel in January accepted Obama’s invitation to visit Washington but set no date.
Wirtz said the visit is planned for this year’s first half but wouldn’t confirm a report in the Der Spiegel magazine that Merkel will travel May 2.
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