'There’s no country where we have a no-spy agreement,' Obama told Hollande. Obama: No 'no spying' agreements

The United States does not have a no-spying deal with the United Kingdom or anyone else, President Barack Obama said Tuesday at a news conference with French President Francois Hollande.

“There’s no country where we have a no-spy agreement,” Obama said. “We have an intelligence capability and then we have a range of partnerships with all kinds of countries and we’ve been in consultations with the French government to deepen those commitments.”


But the U.S. is committed to respecting the privacy of the people of France,” Obama said. “Both publicly and privately, I want to reiterate today to the French press is that we are committed to making sure that we are protecting and concerned about the privacy rights, not just of Americans, not just of own citizens, but of people around the world as well.”

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Obama also said isn’t choosing favorites in hosting a state visit for France and not for another close ally, the U.K.

“I have two daughters and they are both gorgeous and wonderful, and I would never choose between them. And that’s how I feel about my outstanding European partners,” Obama said, responding to a question from a French reporter who noted that Hollande’s state visit was the first of Obama’s second term.

“All of them are wonderful in their own ways,” he said. British Prime Minister David Cameron was at the White House in early 2012 for an official visit, an equivalent event for a leader who is not a head of state.

Obama added he believe “the U.S.-French alliance has never been stronger, and the levels of cooperation that we’re seeing across the whole range of issues is much deeper than it was, I think, five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago. That’s good for France. It’s good for the United States.”

Hollande said France is “not trying to be anyone’s favorite” in its international dealings. “It’s not about hierarchy, it’s just about being useful to the world.”