She called on the Mercosur bloc of South American nations, due to meet on Friday, to issue a strong statement and demand explanations from Washington. “More than revelations, these are confirmations of what we thought was happening,” she said.
Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, who has emerged as a close U.S. ally, said the reported spying was worrisome.
“We are against these kinds of espionage activities,” he said in a televised interview. “It would be good for (Peru’s) Congress to look with concern at privacy issues related to personal information.”
Brazil’s government said it set up a task force of its defense, communications, justice and foreign affairs ministries to investigate the alleged espionage and establish whether the privacy of Brazilian citizens had been violated.