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Strack-Zimmermann: It is “not mandatory that the information was passed on from within the parliamentary chamber.”

Photo: Thomas Kienzle / AFP

According to a media report, a hundred people were present at the secret meeting of the Defense Committee, from which information about the Taurus cruise missile was made public.

As can be seen from a letter from committee chairwoman Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) to Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD), which the "Rheinische Post" quoted on Monday, they are now threatened with criminal investigations for possible betrayal of secrets.

With the letter dated last Friday, Strack-Zimmermann informed Bundestag President Bas about the process after a media report on information from the secret meeting had been published.

According to the "Rheinischer Post", the letter states that a total of around 105 people took part in the "defense committee meeting in question, including numerous representatives of the federal government and state representatives."

It is therefore “not mandatory that the information was passed on from the parliamentary area,” wrote Strack-Zimmermann.

"Nevertheless, I would like to inform you of the above facts and request that you be authorized to prosecute in accordance with Section 353 b Paragraph 4 of the Criminal Law so that the matter can be investigated."

The background is a report from the news portal “T-Online”, which deals with the secret part of a special meeting of the Bundestag committee.

Accordingly, Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer spoke there on Monday last week about technical and operational procedures for targeting Taurus cruise missiles.

According to T-Online, the issue was also about the consequences of a Taurus delivery to Ukraine for Germany's security.

Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, has been demanding German Taurus cruise missiles to defend itself for months.

Strack-Zimmermann announced on Friday that he would contact the public prosecutor's office about the matter.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also spoke out in favor of clarification.

"Betrayal of secrets is something that must not take place," he said on Saturday.

asc/dpa/AFP