WASHINGTON: The White House said it will seek to keep US intelligence-gathering operations in check and possibly add new restraints for more transparency amid mounting European ire over American snooping on the continent.

“There are a number of efforts under way that are designed to increase transparency, to work with Congress to look at reform to the Patriot Act (and) to look at ways we can increase oversight and increase constraint on the authorities provided by these programs,” presidential spokesman Jay Carney said at a news briefing Monday.

The New York Times, quoting administration and congressional officials, reported Monday that President Barack Obama is considering banning eavesdropping on leaders of US allies in the wake of the European furor.

As Spain became the latest ally to summon a US ambassador to denounce the mass eavesdropping, the normally loyal head of the US Senate intelligence committee claimed her panel had been kept in the dark.

Washington stands accused of snooping on the telephone and online communications of millions of ordinary citizens in Europe, including allied world leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Obama refused to corroborate such reports, citing the need to keep intelligence operations classified. But he acknowledged that the way US agencies go about their business was being reassessed.

“We give them policy direction,” he told ABC News.

“But what we’ve seen over the last several years is their capacities continue to develop and expand, and that’s why I’m initiating now a review to make sure that what they’re able to do doesn’t necessarily mean what they should be doing.” Senator Dianne Feinstein said lawmakers on her committee had not been briefed on the extent of National Security Agency activity and announced a “major review” of spy operations.

“With respect to NSA collection of intelligence on leaders of US allies — including France, Spain, Mexico and Germany — let me state unequivocally: I am totally opposed,” Feinstein said.

“It is clear to me that certain surveillance activities have been in effect for more than a decade and that the Senate Intelligence Committee was not satisfactorily informed.” Feinstein, a member of Obama’s Democratic Party who defended the NSA in the recent past, did not disguise her opposition to those policies that have led to deterioration in transatlantic ties.

“Unless the United States is engaged in hostilities against a country or there is an emergency need for this type of surveillance, I do not believe the United States should be collecting phone calls or e-mails of friendly presidents and prime ministers,” she said.

The Spanish government meanwhile called in US ambassador James Costos to explain the latest allegations.

A senior Spanish foreign ministry official met the envoy after the El Mundo daily published a classified document purportedly showing that US intelligence services tracked 60.5 million Spanish telephone calls in one month.

The NSA recorded the origin and destination of the calls and their duration but not the content, said El Mundo, which printed a classified graph showing 30 days of call tracing up to January 8 this year.





The newspaper said such systematic trawling of huge volumes of digital information — or metadata — would include intercepting personal details through Internet web browsers, e-mails and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

“Spain conveyed to the United States the importance of preserving the climate of trust that governs bilateral relations and of knowing the scale of practices that, if true, are inappropriate and unacceptable between countries that are partners and friends,” the Spanish ministry said.

’Trust has to be rebuilt’ With transatlantic tensions on the boil, members of a European delegation met Monday with House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers, who sought to soothe injured European feelings and said the two sides “made some progress” in the talks.

A British member of the European Parliament, Claude Moraes, said it was vital to begin a healing process but also to reassure Europe that surveillance abuses do not persist.

“Trust has to be rebuilt. We need to figure out why this kind of mass surveillance activity is happening,” Moraes said.

Elmar Brok, chairman of the parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, was more critical of the US overstepping its bounds.

“It is not acceptable, for example, this espionage on Chancellor Merkel and others since more than 10 years,” he said.

Brok said he believed the eavesdropping on the German administration is a breach of German law.

The Wall Street Journal said Monday the NSA had tapped the phones of some 35-world leaders, including Merkel, who last week branded the snooping as unacceptable between friends.

Obama learned of the espionage only after an internal mid-year review, and the White House then ordered an end to the spying on some leaders, including Merkel, the Journal said.

Feinstein said it would be a “big problem” if Obama had not been made aware that Merkel’s calls were being collected, saying “the president should be required to approve any collection of this sort.” The European delegation was to meet Tuesday and Wednesday with more US officials including from the State Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Rogers said US lawmakers would soon travel to Brussels for follow-up meetings with European officials.