Sarkozy sends condolence letter to Netanyahu after 'liar' jibe

"President (Nicolas) Sarkozy sent a personal letter in his and his wife Carla's name in which he expresses his condolences to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his spouse Sarah after the death of the latter's father.

"In the letter, Mr Sarkozy reminds the prime minister of his friendship and underlines that their differences over the problems of the Middle East, which the press echoed recently, do not have an impact on this friendship," an Israeli official was quoted by 'The Daily Telegraph' as saying.

In fact, in the conversation during the G20 Summit, overheard by a number of newspersons after it's inadvertently transmitted over a system used for translation, President Sarkozy told President Obama in French: "I can't see him anymore, he's a liar."

To which President Obama responded: "You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him (Netanyahu) every day," -- and it was translated into French, news website 'Arret sur Images' reported.

Journalists were able to hear the conversation after they were given translation devices for a press conference but told they would receive headphones later, according to the website which also quoted a number of journalists saying that a group decision was made not to report the "private conversation".

In Paris, the Elysee Palace confirmed that a "private" letter had been sent, but refused to disclose its contents, according to the British newspaper.