Phone bugs found in EU building
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BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Telephone bugs have been found in offices used by French and German delegates at a building due to host a European Union leaders' summit, an EU spokesman has said.
The bugging system was found in the EU Council Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, and affected other countries' officials as well, Dominique-Georges Marro, head of the EU Council press service, told reporters on Wednesday.
"I can confirm that in the course of regular inspections, interception devices have been found ... which do not only affect France and Germany," he said.
"We do not know who is behind it. I don't know who was on the other end of the line."
Marro also told the Associated Press the "anomalies" in the telephone lines were found during regular security checks a few days ago.
He said only a small number of lines had been bugged but did not specify which other countries were affected.
Leaders of the 15 EU nations were scheduled to hold a summit Thursday and Friday in the building, which hosts regular meetings of ministers.
The building also houses the offices of Javier Solana, secretary general of the council of the European Union, AP reported.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a key supporter of the U.S. push for a war against Iraq, is expected to meet French President Jacques Chirac at the summit.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
