French President Nicolas Sarkozy branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a liar” in a private conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama that was accidentally broadcast to journalists during last week’s G20 summit in Cannes.
“I cannot bear Netanyahu, he’s a liar,” Sarkozy told Obama, unaware that the microphones in their meeting room had been switched on, enabling reporters in a separate location to listen in to a simultaneous translation.
“You’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him even more often than you,” Obama replied, according to the French interpreter.
The technical gaffe is likely to cause great embarrassment to all three leaders as they look to work together to intensify international pressure on Iran over its nuclear ambitions.
I guess it’s a slip up. Apparently they weren’t supposed to be listening then? As we saw with all the Wikileaks stuff, what diplomats say behind closed doors is a lot different than what gets put out in public. Always interesting to hear what people actually think.
Probably. He was apparently hounding Sarkozy about his yes vote for allowing Palestine into UNSECO though, so maybe it plays somewhat neutral for him.
Personally, I have no damn problem if the US President isn’t sucking up to the Israeli PM (or any other world leader) at all times. It’s odd to me that so many US citizens demand that.
