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Angela Merkel confronted Barack Obama today over suggestions that US spooks eavesdropped on her mobile phone calls.

The German leader demanded “immediate and comprehensive” clarification from the President.

The exchange came after Berlin received information the German Chancellor’s mobile calls may have been monitored.

Mrs Merkel told Mr Obama it would be “completely unacceptable” if it had taken place.

Her spokesman said: “This would be a serious breach of trust. Such practices should be stopped immediately.”

The confrontation between the leaders came just 24 hours after the US was accused of spying on France – with Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault saying he was “deeply shocked” by the claims that American spooks listened to millions of calls.

Yesterday, a White House official said the President told Mrs Merkel that the US “is not monitoring and will not monitor communications of the Chancellor”.

But in Germany, it was reported the US gave no assurances about what had gone on.

Mr Obama had promised a review of American spies’ activities after the whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed in June the alleged extent of the National Security Agency ’s surveillance network.

(Image: Getty)

German magazine Der Spiegel, which has published stories based on Snowden’s leaks, claimed details about Mrs Merkel’s calls came from its investigations.

France’s Le Monde newspaper said on Tuesday the country’s diplomats in Washington and at the UN had been spied on.

The NSA internal memos obtained by the paper detailed the use of a surveillance programme, known as Genie.

The US ambassador was summoned to the French foreign minister after the reports claimed the NSA spied on 70.3 million phone calls in France in just 30 days from December last year.

The information Snowden, a former NSA worker, leaked led to claims of systematic spying by the NSA and CIA globally.

The NSA was forced to admit it had captured email and phone data from millions of Americans.

Snowden, wanted in the US on criminal charges, is in Russia after getting asylum.