Sarkozy overheard at summit calling Netanyahu a liar

THE French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, who has laboured to improve French relations with Israel, said he “can’t stand” the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and called him a liar in a chat with US President Barack Obama.

The conversation between Sarkozy and Obama was overheard by reporters last week at the G20 summit in southern France, via headsets that were to be used for simultaneous translation of an upcoming news conference.

Obama, whose remarks were heard via a French translation, was not heard objecting to Sarkozy’s characterisation of Netanyahu. Through the interpreter, Obama was heard asking Sarkozy to help persuade the Palestinians to stop their efforts to gain UN recognition of a Palestinian state.