"The chancellor today telephoned President (Barack) Obama" and "made clear that she unequivocally disapproves of such practices, should they be confirmed, and regards them as completely unacceptable," spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
Berlin had demanded "an immediate and comprehensive explanation" from Washington.
"Among close friends and partners, as the Federal Republic of Germany and the US have been for decades, there should be no such monitoring of the communications of a head of government," the statement added, indirectly citing Merkel's comments to Obama.
"Such practices must be prevented immediately," the German chancellor told Obama, the statement said.
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