Berlin, May 4 (IANS) German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Monday defended himself against accusations in what is known as the BND-NSA affair, saying he would clarify on Wednesday to a parliamentary committee oversedeing the work of the secret services, Xinhua news agency reported citing German media.
De Maiziere made the remarks while attending a meeting of the heads of German security authorities in Berlin, German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine reported on its website.
The minister again denied any wrongdoing related to the affair and pushed for stronger international cooperation among intelligence services in the fight against terrorism.
According to a report published by Spiegel Online, Germany’s Foreign Intelligence Service (BND) has targeted European interests for surveillance on behalf of the US National Security Agency (NSA) for years.
Germany’s ruling coalition is facing growing pressure over the scandal. At its centre is De Maiziere, who is accused of having known about the alleged illegal US spying activities in 2008 while he was chief of staff of the German Chancellery.
German parliamentary investigators have asked the government to provide a draft of the US spy lists while the opposition has threatened a lawsuit.
Parliament is set to discuss the scandal on Wednesday. BND chief Gerhard Schindler has been invited to testify on Thursday.