After the embarrassing incident in which he was caught calling Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu a ‘liar’, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is doing some damage control.

Sarkozy, who sent a condolence letter to Netanyahu for the death of his father-in-law Shmuel Ben-Artzi, took the opportunity to apologize for the incident and pledged his friendship to the Prime Minister.

“Dear Binyamin, let me also tell you on this occasion: You have my friendship, and our differing views on the problems of the Middle East, and the interpretations appearing in the media, have no effect on it,” Sarkozy wrote Netanyahu.

Last week it was reported that reporters in Cannes overheard a conversation between Sarkozy and U.S. President Barack Obama, in which Sarkozy said, “I cannot stand him. He is a liar.”

Obama responded, “You’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!”

The two, who spoke after a press conference at the G20 summit in Cannes, did not know that their microphones were open.

On Sunday it was reported that Sarkozy plans to visit Netanyahu to clear up the incident, which was labeled a “misunderstanding”.

Reuters reported on Monday that Obama also sent condolences for the death of Sarah Netanyahu’s father, but made no mention of the remarks made in Cannes.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the two of you,” Obama wrote, according to the Israeli officials.