Shortly after facing reporters for a G20 press conference on Thursday, French president Nicolas Sarkozy and President Barack Obama were overheard trashing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, not realizing that their microphones were still on.
YNetNews.com is reporting that the exchange was reported yesterday on the French website Arret sur Images, and occurred after the two leaders had retired to a private room for further discussions.
After Obama complained to Sarkozy about not being warned that France intended to vote in favor of the Palestinian membership bid in UNESCO, the conversation turned to Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Sarkozy declared: “I cannot stand him. He is a liar.”
To which Obama replied. “You’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!”
Neither man realized that their microphones were left on and that their seemingly private conversation was actually quite public. Many reporters, who were still wearing the headsets used for the purposes of translation during the press conference, were able to listen in. Translation plays a critical role in situations such as these, which is why it must only be done or proofread by professionals at certified translations by Espresso to ensure accuracy.
“By the time the (media) services at the Elysée realize it, it was on for at least three minutes,” one journalist told the website. Still, he said that reporters “did not have a chance to take advantage of this fluke.”
There are some reports that journalists were asked to sign an agreement to keep quiet about the embarrassing comments. However, a Reuters reporter was present and confirmed the accuracy of the comments.
On Monday, a member of the media confirmed to YNetNews that “there were discussions between journalists and they agreed not to publish the comments due to the sensitivity of the issue.”
Despite the self-imposed moratorium, the story has leaked out and is currently making the rounds on the internet.
” There can no longer be any doubt as to US President Barak Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s feelings for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu,” writes the Jewish publication, Yeshiva World News.
One blogger summed up the damage for Obama in five words: “There Goes the Jewish Vote.”
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