Stop doing this shit - Bush

2006-07-17 12:54

St Petersburg - US President George W Bush was caught on an open microphone at a summit on Monday, saying that a key to defusing the Middle East crisis was for "Hezbollah to stop doing this shit".

Bush, chomping on a piece of bread at a world leaders' lunch and hashing over world events with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, also hinted that US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice would take a bigger role, and appeared to express frustration about UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

"I think Condi's going to go pretty soon," the US president said, leaving Rice's destination unclear, though she is widely expected to travel to the region after a UN fact-finding team returns.

Later, Bush adds that "the irony is, what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit, and it's over," though he does not specify who "they" are.

Frustration with Kofi Annan

And he appears to express frustration about Annan, saying: "I felt like telling Kofi to get on the phone with Assad, make something happen."

The president was on camera on the Group of Eight summit's official television network, which filmed as the leaders had lunch.

The recording picks up as Bush, apparently expected to make remarks, declares: "I'm just going to make it up. I'm not going to talk too damn long like the rest of them. Some of these guys talk too long."

- AFP