Report: Sarkozy calls Netanyahu a ' liar'

"You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!" - Obama to Sarkozy, addressing Israel's Netanyahu

Courtesy: scrapetv.com

(TEL AVIV ) - This one is funny, and so apropos... both Sarkozy and Obama didn't know their microphones were on when the began discussing Israeli Prime Minister Binjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli news group YNET carries the story of French President Nicolas Sarkozy reportedly telling US President Barack Obama that he could not "stand" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that he thinks the Israeli premier "is a liar."

Strong words, and a tone that might well have invoked the anger of Obama, who so regularly sides with Israel in spite of so many violations of Human Rights.

In fact 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 news of the remark to Obama which Sarkozy did not realize was others could hear, came from the French website "Arret sur Images."

Arret sur Images (Screenshot)

They report that after facing reporters for a G20 press conference on Thursday, the two presidents retired to a private room, to further discuss the matters of the day. The subject of Netanyahu was one of the first things the two world leaders addressed.

This is when Sarkozy declared: "I cannot stand him. He is a liar."

Obama is said to have replied: "You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!"

The remark was naturally meant to be said in confidence, YNET writes, but the two leaders' microphones were accidentally left on, making the would-be private comment embarrassingly public.

The communication faux pas went unnoticed for several minutes, during which the conversation between the two heads of state – which quickly reverted to other matters – was all but open to members the press, who were still in possession of headsets provided by the Elysée for the sake of simultaneous translation during the G20 press conference.

"By the time the (media) services at the Elysée realize it, it was on for at least three minutes," one journalist told the website. Still, he said that reporters "did not have a chance to take advantage of this fluke."

The surprising lack of coverage may be explained by a report alleging that journalists present at the event were requested to sign an agreement to keep mum on the embarrassing comments. A Reuters reporter was among the journalists present and can confirm the veracity of the comments.

A member of the media confirmed Monday that "there were discussions between journalists and they agreed not to publish the comments due to the sensitivity of the issue."

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