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Mic check

November 8, 2011

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he couldn't stand the Israeli prime minister and 'liar' Benjamin Netanyahu in an off-the-record chat with US President Barack Obama last week. Neither leader knew they were on mic.

https://p.dw.com/p/136mk
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, and US President Barack Obama walk together during arrivals for the G20 summit in Cannes, France
They were out of the spotlight, but they were still wired for soundImage: dapd

It was a rare chance for Nicolas Sarkozy and Barack Obama to talk frankly and privately during down time at last week's G20 summit. They did precisely that. Unfortunately, backroom staff in the French city of Cannes had apparently forgotten to turn off their microphones; several journalists were listening in.

To make matters worse, Sarkozy and Obama had chosen this moment to badmouth a difficult but crucial political partner - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I cannot stand him. He's a liar," Sarkozy told Obama.

"You may be fed up with him, but me, I have to deal with him every day," Obama replied.

The pair had been discussing Palestinian efforts to gain UN recognition as a country, one of several thorns in the side of the faltering Middle East peace process. Obama subsequently asked Sarkozy to try to persuade the Palestinian Authority to slow down their UN negotiations, thus placating Israel somewhat.

France is traditionally considered one of the closer friends of Palestinians in the western world.

Delegates cheer after they approved the membership of Palestine in a vote of 107-14 with 52 abstentions on October 31
This UNESCO vote to admit Palestinians had sparked the discussionImage: dapd

The frank discussion between the two leaders was first quoted by a French news website, Arret sur Images, and was quickly confirmed by other media, including a Reuters reporter. A political writer for the prominent French newspaper Le Monde also alluded to the conversation in an article, without giving any details.

One French journalist told Arret sur Images that Obama and Sarkozy's "private" exchange was aired for a small group of reporters for about three minutes before technical staff corrected their mistake. Another said that reporters privy to the exchange had initially agreed not to publish the sensitive remarks.

The discussion reportedly began with Obama reproaching Sarkozy, who had apparently not warned the US that France would vote in favor of the Palestinian bid to join UNESCO. The UN cultural organization voted overwhelmingly for Palestinian membership last week, although Israel and the US were among 14 countries to oppose the motion. The US stopped its donations to UNESCO in response to the decision.

Author: Mark Hallam
Editor: Nancy Isenson