Italian PM raises spy claims at Kerry talks

Prime Minister Enrico Letta today discussed claims of US snooping on Italian communications with US Secretary of State John Kerry during talks in Rome, a government spokeswoman said.
"The question was raised about the need to verify the truthfulness of the allegations that are circulating," the spokeswoman told AFP.
She said the US side was "cooperative" and had promised to "review" the issue.
The reports have caused anger in Italy and prompted calls for Washington to explain itself.
Kerry and Letta also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, Libya and Syria as well as Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, the source said.
As the two met, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said: "We have a duty to give Italian citizens certainty. We need to find out the truth and tell the truth without being intimidated".

Reports over the snooping have already angered French and Mexican officials and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told Kerry in Paris at a meeting on Tuesday that it was "unacceptable".

Italian media, citing fugitive US leaker Edward Snowden, reported that Skype calls, emails and web searches were being monitored also in Italy.
The reports also said Italian parliamentarians had been told by the National Security Agency that the monitoring helped prevent an attack by Algerian militants in Naples in September 2010.
Kerry landed in Rome yesterday from London where he attended a meeting of the Friends of Syria group of 11 countries that agreed with Syrian opposition leaders that President Bashar al-Assad should play no future role in government.

Kerry was due today to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also in Rome, to discuss Iran, Syria and the status of talks with the Palestinians, officials said.