Intelligence

US spy kicked out of Germany's co-ruling FD Party Democratic Party

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Berlin, Dec 9, IRNA -- Germany's co-governing Free Democratic Party (FDP) fired former office manager of Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle following latest WikiLeaks revelations that he was working as 'a US spy'.

A spokesman for the FDP confirmed Helmut Metzner was no longer employed by the party.

A close aide of Westerwelle, Metzner, had reportedly been spying for the US since at least the year 2007.

Metzner had already resigned from his post as Westerwelle's bureau manager last week after it had been exposed he was working as a mole for the US embassy in Berlin.

He had reportedly informed the US embassy in Berlin that Westerwelle was 'positioning himself to become the foreign minister of the next (German) Federal Government.'

American diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks uncovered that the US diplomatic mission had planted an informer in the center-right government coalition negotiations between the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their junior partner Free Democratic Party (FDP) after the general elections in September 2009.

'FDP source is a young, up-and-coming party loyalist,' the leaked cable from the US embassy in Berlin said.

The informer turned out to be the 41-year-old Metzner who came forward and admitted he was providing information to American diplomats.

The spying affair has become a major embarrassment for not only Westerwelle but also fpr the German government which often prides itself of having such good relations with the US.

Several German politicians have openly called for the expulsion of American Ambassador Philip Murphy for his role in the spying scandal. Murphy has instead haughtily defended his conduct as safeguarding the US interests.

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