Leaker's testimony at issue
Merkel faces a political tumult
on granting Snowden immunity

German Prime Minister Angela Merkel is faced with the thorny problem of whether NSA leaker Edward Snowden should be permitted to come to Germany as a protected witness to aid parliamentary investigations or whether she and her aides should stand by their decision to effectively bar him from the country.

U.S. officials are scrambling to straighten out the foreign relations embroglio stirred by disclosure that the NSA had been tapping Merkel's cell phones. Prior to that disclosure, she had defended German cooperation with the U.S. intelligence system.

Snowden is willing to travel to Germany to testify, but "conditions must be discussed," according to Hans-Christian Stroebele, a legislator for the opposition Greens party who sits on the European parliament's intelligence panel, Reuters reports. Stroebele held a three-hour huddle with Snowden in Moscow yesterday, the news agency said.

Washington would be expected to press for Snowden's extradition should he set foot in Germany. Berlin's previous refusal to deny the former defense contractor political asylum means that if he comes to Germany he would be subject to arrest and extradition to the United States. Additionally, he must be careful not to make a misstep with respect to his status as a political refugee in Russia.

Reuters report on Snowden huddle
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/31/us-usa-security-germany-snowden-idUSBRE99U1DL20131031

"He made it clear he knows a lot," Stroebele said, adding that he told Snowden that, if necessary, he could be interviewed by German investigators in Moscow. But Snowden's lawyer said that Snowden could not disclose secret information while in Russia.

Gregor Gysi, parliamentary leader of the Left, has said Germany should include Snowden in its witness protection program so he could speak before a parliamentary committee.

Germany's defense minister, who is responsible for much intelligence activity, expressed disappointment with Washington. "It is clear that trust has been broken and this trust must be restored," he said. "This requires official agreements on which we can depend."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected U.S. pleas to send Snowden home to face charges, instead in August granting him temporary asylum. However, Putin, a former KGB official, has said repeatedly that Russia would shelter Snowden only if he stopped harming the United States.

As it is unlikely that the truculent Russian leader is actually overly concerned with the welfare of the Obama administration, skeptical observers wonder whether Putin's real worry is that leaked NSA data will expose situations that might jeopardize his position.

Guardian sees breaking up of global internet
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/01/nsa-surveillance-cause-internet-breakup-edward-snowden