Obama Speaks to France's Hollande Over Spying

U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to French President François Hollande on Monday about press reports disclosing alleged large-scale American spying on French citizens, the White House said in a statement.

"The president and President Hollande discussed recent disclosures in the press - some of which have distorted our activities and some of which raise legitimate questions for our friends and allies about how these capabilities are employed," the White House said.

"The president (Obama) made clear that the United States has begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share."

The two men agreed that their countries should continue to discuss the issue through diplomatic channels, it said.