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.

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