US doesn't have 'no-spy' agreement with any country: Barack Obama

WASHINGTON: The US does not have a "no-spy" agreement with any country but it is committed to protect the privacy rights when it gathers intelligence, President Barack Obama has said.

"It's not actually correct to say that we have a 'no-spy agreement' with Great Britain. That's not actually what happens. There is no country where we have a no-spy agreement," Obama told reporters at a joint news conference with French President Francois Hollande.

"We have, like every other country, 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," he said.

"At the same time, what I've also said, both publicly and privately -- and 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 our own citizens, but of people around the world as well," he said.

The Obama administration has come under severe criticism from allies following disclosure that their leaders had been subject to US spying.

Hollande said both the US and France have clarified things following the revelation by Edward Snowden, "This was in the past. And then we endeavoured towards cooperation. We wanted to fight against terrorism. But we also wanted to meet a number of principles. We are making headway in this cooperation," said the French President.

"Mutual trust has been restored, and that mutual trust must be based on respect for each other's country, but also based on the protection of private life, of personal data; the fact that any individual, in spite of technological progress, can be sure that he is not being spied on. These are principles that unite us," he said.