默克尔说情报工作对公民的安全至关重要

 　　BERLIN, July 10 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor¹ Angela Merkel has defended German intelligence services and intelligence cooperation with other countries, saying that the intelligence work is essential for the security of citizens.

　　In an interview to be published in full on Thursday by Die Zeit newspaper, Merkel said it has been the responsibility of secret services to cooperate with others for German security, calling for the necessary discussions to take place in a spirit that does not neglect that the United States "has for decades been and still is our most loyal ally.""For decades, intelligence services have been working together under certain conditions that are tightly regulated in our country, and this serves our security," Merkel said.

　　Merkel said she was only made aware of the U.S. spying programs through media reports, as the opposition² has pressed her on how much she knew about U.S. surveillance activities after whistleblower Edward Snowden told German magazine Der Spiegel in a recent interview that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) worked closely with the German intelligence service.

　　Stressing a balance between ensuring public security and protecting citizens' privacy, Merkel rejected the comparisons between the U.S. surveillance activities and the former East German Stasi secret police.

　　Merkel said the two are completely different things and such comparisons only "lead to a trivialization of what the Stasi did to people" in East Germany.

　　She said intelligence work in democratic states has always been and will in future be essential for the security of citizens, adding that "a country without intelligence work would be too vulnerable."A recent report by Der Spiegel, citing classified documents disclosed by fugitive³ Snowden, said Washington was monitoring phone calls and Internet data connections in Germany as well as spying on the headquarters of the European Union and its offices in Washington and the United Nations in New York.

　　The report sparked widespread outcry in privacy-sensitive Germany. The German government has said that Berlin felt surprised and "alienated⁴" by media reports of cold-war-style U.S. spying on European nations.

　　U.S. President Barack Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed last Wednesday to hold a high-level bilateral⁵ meeting over U.S. surveillance programs.

1 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

4 alienated   

adj.感到孤独的，不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言论使许多年轻选民离他而去。
• The Prime Minister's policy alienated many of her followers. 首相的政策使很多拥护她的人疏远了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。