German Leader Criticizes US Over Pervasive Surveillance

Chancellor Angela Merkel took perhaps her sharpest swipe yet at pervasive American intelligence surveillance, saying that Washington had endangered its standing by violating the freedom of the individual, a value for which it is admired abroad.

Chancellor Merkel, addressing the German Parliament, stressed that the damage wrought was so grave and fundamental that it would not be swiftly overcome. She has promised to visit Washington in the coming months, even as President Barack Obama has signaled willingness to address German concerns and pledged that her cellphone is no longer under surveillance by the National Security Agency. But one trip alone will not overcome all the issues, Chancellor Merkel said, even as she argued against exacting some kind of revenge by stopping trade talks between Europe and the United States, as some Germans in her conservative and normally pro-American camp have urged.