US spied on French presidents

French Presidents Chirac, Sarkozy & Hollande

In 2013 the NSA was accused of spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Recently, Wikileaks said it began publishing the files under the heading "Espionage Elysee" - a reference to the French presidential palace.
It said the secret files "derive from directly targeted NSA surveillance of the communications" of the three French presidents as well as French ministers and the ambassador to the US.

One of the files, dated 2012, is about Mr Hollande discussing Greece's possible exit from the Eurozone. Another one - from 2011 - alleges that Mr Sarkozy was determined to resume peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, possibly without US involvement. A file dated 2010 suggests that French officials were aware that the US was spying upon them and intended to complain about it.
 
Francois Hollande, Barack Obama and Angela Merkel met at a recent G7 summit

It is unclear whether the material comes from data stolen by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the BBC's security correspondent Gordon Corera says.

In one Jacques Chirac pushes for the nomination of Terje Roed-Larsen as UN under-secretary-general. Nicolas Sarkozy says he wants to help Pernod Ricard in a row with the US over rum. Three days after taking office, Francois Hollande calls secret meetings to discuss the Greek crisis.

Most of this could have been gleaned by diplomats at the US embassy simply doing their job - rather than by the spy-station that Liberation newspaper says operates on the embassy roof. The impression given is of an agency scooping up indiscriminate quantities of information, and for little benefit. As the French intelligence expert Francois Heisbourg put it, "They do it because they can."

None of which will allay the anger of the French government. Of course they know that spying goes on - even between friends. But the cardinal rule is not to get found out. When you do, you must expect the full force of diplomatic outrage.
BBC:  http://bbc.in/1HeZWTC