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.

Several French-speaking journalists overheard the comments but did not initially report them because Sarkozy’s office had asked the journalists not to turn on the headsets until the press conference began, and the comments were deemed private under French media traditions.

French website Arret sur images, reported fragments of the remarks yesterday.

Sarkozy’s office would not comment on the remarks, or on France’s relations with Israel. The White House and Netanyahu’s spokesman also said they had no comment.

In Thursday’s remarks in Cannes, Sarkozy said: “Netanyahu, I can’t stand him. He’s a liar.” According to the French interpreter, Obama responded: “You are sick of him, but I have to work with him every day.”

The journalists heard only fragments of the leaders’ conversation.

Since becoming president in 2007, Sarkozy has strengthened French ties with Israel while also seeking to use France’s traditional good relations with Arab allies to encourage peace talks. His comments reflect his increasing frustration with Netanyahu, and may complicate French efforts toward Middle East peace.

France’s government has not said so officially, but appears to see Netanyahu as partially responsible for the deadlock in peace talks.

France has repeatedly urged Netanyahu to stop building Jewish settlements in the West Bank and come to the negotiating table, to little avail.

“I think all this must not make us lose sight of the basics — which is to say there’s not a minute to lose to continue to work on the Israeli-Palestinian issue,” French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told reporters yesterday.

“In our relationship with Israel, as with our relationship with the Palestinians, what we want is to continue to work so that things move ahead — because they’re not moving ahead,” Valero said.