President Vladimir Putin Thursday said the NSA surveillance is necessary to fight terrorism,but added that the government needs to limit the appetite of the agency with a clear set of ground rules. Putins comment at a major news conference was surprising support for President Barack Obamas administration. Putin,a 16-year KGB veteran and the former chief of Russias main espionage agency,said while the NSA programme isnt a cause for joy,its not a cause for repentance either because it is needed to fight terrorism. He argued that its necessary to monitor large numbers of people to expose terrorist contacts. On a political level,its necessary to limit the appetite of special services with certain rules, he said.