JERUSALEM — The conversation was supposed to be private. But reports have surfaced that French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a liar” while chatting last week with President Barack Obama.
Several French-speaking journalists, including those from Reuters and The Associated Press, overheard the remark through headsets that were supposed to be used for simultaneous translation during a news conference on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Cannes, according to wire reports.
Thursday’s exchange was first reported Monday by Arret Sur Images, a French website that analyzes media coverage.
Sarkozy apparently was not aware that his comments could be heard by reporters gathered in another room when he reportedly said of the Israeli leader: “I can’t stand to see him anymore; he’s a liar.”
Obama, whose response was heard only through a French translation, was quoted as saying: “You are fed up with him, but me, I have to deal with him every day.”
The comments are likely to embarrass both leaders as they try to revive stalled peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. There was no immediate comment Tuesday from Sarkozy’s office, the White House or Netanyahu’s office.
The media and general public in Israel greeted the news largely with a shrug. After some initial chatter on Israeli radio, the story was largely overshadowed by concerns over a report by a U.N. watchdog on Iran’s nuclear program.
Because of disclosures by WikiLeaks, Israelis already knew that Netanyahu was viewed skeptically by some Western leaders. The personality clash with Obama, in particular, has been heavily reported in Israel.
Reporters who overheard the comments had used their own earphones to listen in on fragments of the exchange before translation headsets were handed out. The journalists initially agreed not to report what they heard because they realized they had “cheated,” one told the Arret Sur Images website.
The journalists also heard Obama criticize Sarkozy for not warning him that France would vote in favor of a Palestinian request for membership in UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency.
Obama was reportedly heard asking the French president to try to persuade Palestinian leaders not to pursue membership in other U.N. agencies because he would be required by U.S. law to withdraw funding for them.
