German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended the need for security co-operation with the United States as members of parliament launched a sensitive inquiry on Thursday into the role of German spies in the Iraq war.
"I wish for only one thing from the investigation: that the need for the intelligence work of the security services should in no way be brought into question," Merkel said in a speech.
Intelligence co-operation with Washington would remain "not only important but necessary" in the future, she said at the 50th anniversary celebrations of Germany's foreign spy agency, which ironically coincided with the start of the MPs' probe.