Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu may be feted at home for his role in freeing captive soldier Gilad Shalit, but abroad, world leaders are barely managing to hide their disdain for the media-savvy prime minister.
Just how much Netanyahu is failing to win the respect of his global peers emerged on Tuesday after a French website published remarks by President Nicolas Sarkozy, who described him as a "liar" during a private conversation with US President Barack Obama at the G20 summit in Cannes last week.
"I can't stand him anymore, he's a liar," Sarkozy said in French in remarks which were inadvertently transmitted over the translation system and heard by reporters.
"You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day," Obama replied.
The remarks were first reported by Arret Sur Images online news site, with the details confirmed by a number of journalists contacted by AFP.
http://www.france24.com/en/20111109-netanyahu-hero-home-pariah-abroad