German ministers urge swift answers to US double-agent reports

German ministers on Sunday called for a swift response from the US to allegations of spying by a suspected double agent, which have raised fears of fresh tensions between the two allies. ‘If reports are correct, we are not talking here about small potatoes,’ Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a tweet, following reports of US spying that have sparked anger in Germany after revelations the NSA allegedly tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone. The US ambassador, who was called to a meeting at the foreign ministry late on Friday, had been told Washington is expected to shed light on the reports ‘as quickly as possible,’ he added.Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere in pre-released experts from Monday’s Bild newspaper called for a ‘quick and clear’ statement by the US on the allegations. The 31-year-old employee of the German foreign intelligence agency known as the BND arrested last week had been working for the CIA for around two years, local media reported on Sunday.