French President Nicolas Sarkozy reportedly called Israeli Prime Minister Bnejamion Netanyahu « a liar » and said he “can’t stand him anymore”, during a private conversatioon with US Prezsiodent Barack Obama after a joint press conference at last week’s G20 summit in Cannes.
The microphones apparently were accidently left on by the Elysee services after the two leaders retired to a private room to further discuss the matters of the day. The three minutes conversation was overheard by half a dozen French journalists, who were still wearing headsets they had put on to hear simultaneous translation of President Obama’s public remarks.
The conversation apparently began with President Obama criticizing Sarkozy for not having warned him that France would be voting in favor of the Palestinian membership bid in UNESCO despite Washington's strong objection to the move.
The two men then started speaking about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"I cannot stand him," Sarkozy was quoted as saying. "He is a liar."
President Obama is reported to have replied, "You’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!"
He then urged President Sarkozy to try to persuade the Palestinian Authority to go easy in its campaign for membership in the United Nations.
The embarrassing conversation was not widely reported in France because the journalists who overheard it reportedly agreed not to publish the remarks due to the sensitivity of the issue.
But a media monitoring French website "Arret sur Images" published it.
The White House did not comment on the exchange.