G8 SUMMIT: A microphone picked up an unaware President George Bush saying yesterday Syria should press Hizbullah to "stop doing this shit".
Mr Bush was talking privately to British prime minister Tony Blair during a lunch at the G8 summit in St Petersburg. Neither leader immediately realised a microphone was transmitting their candid thoughts on that and other issues.
"I think Condi [ US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice) is going to go [ to the Middle East] pretty soon," Mr Bush said.
Mr Blair replied: "Right, that's all that matters, it will take some time to get that together."
Dr Rice said on Sunday she was thinking of going to the region if it would help.
Mr Blair added: "See, if she goes out she's got to succeed as it were, whereas I can just go out and talk."
Mr Bush : "See, the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hizbullah to stop doing this shit and it's over."
Mr Bush seemed to complain about UN secretary general Kofi Annan wanting an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.
"I don't like the sequence of it," Mr Bush said. "His attitude is basically ceasefire and everything else happens."
Mr Blair said: "I think the thing that is really difficult is you can't stop this unless you get this international presence agreed."
Later, Mr Bush said he felt like telling Mr Annan to telephone Syrian president Bashar al-Assad "and make something happen".
Mr Bush also thanked the British leader for a sweater Mr Blair had apparently given him. "Thanks for the sweater, it was awfully thoughtful of you. I know you picked it out yourself," Mr Bush said.
"Oh, absolutely," said Mr Blair.
Mr Bush also said that when he next spoke to G8 leaders, he would keep it brief.
"I'm not going to talk too long like the rest of them. Some of these guys talk too long. Gotta go home. Got something to do tonight," he said.