White House Silent on Conversation With French President Insulting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

The White House is declining to comment about an audio tape from last week's G20 summit that captured President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy venting about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Sarkozy calls a "liar."

The conversation overheard by reporters -- who evidently agreed not to report it because it was captured before the two leaders thought they were on-mic -- was picked up on English and French simultaneous translation headsets.

According to French website, Arret sur images, which analyzes media coverage of current affairs, Obama was heard asking Sarkozy to help persuade the Palestinians to stop their efforts to gain U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state.

Sarkozy told Obama, "Netanyahu, I can't stand him. He's a liar." 

Obama did not object to the characterization, and responded: "You are sick of him, but I have to work with him every day."

Asked about the conversation on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that he wouldn't confirm that it happened, but the president's "very firm position" has been that efforts to achieve U.N. membership by the Palestinians were "premature and counterproductive" to the goal of Mideast peace. 

The president believes very firmly that both sides -- Israelis and Palestinians -- need to take steps that bring them together to direct negotiations and not ones that make it harder to happen, Carney added.

Several French-speaking journalists, including one from The Associated Press, overheard the comments but did not initially report them because staff members of Sarkozy's office asked the journalists not to turn on the headsets until the press conference began, and the comments were deemed private under French media traditions.

Sarkozy's office would not comment Tuesday on the remarks, or on France's relations with Israel. Netanyahu's spokesman also said he had no comment.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/08/white-house-silent-on-conversation-with-french-president-dissing-israeli-prime/#ixzz1d8hg3qAz