A spokesman for David Cameron, Britain's prime minister, has dismissed apparent criticism from France's president over the eurozone crisis, as the UK leader faced a battle at home over his country's membership of the European Union.

In his comments on Monday, the spokesman did not deny reports that Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, had launched a scathing attack on Cameron at an EU summit that took place on Sunday.

According to British media reports, Sarkozy told Cameron: "You have lost a good opportunity to shut up.

"We're sick of you criticising us and telling us what to do. You say you hate the euro. You didn't want to join and now you want to interfere in our meetings."

Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reporting from Paris said: "It seems President Sarkozy took a less than diplomatic view of Britain being at the meeting."

Speaking to journalists, Cameron's spokesman said: "There was a discussion about whether or not there should be a European Council as well as a eurozone meeting on Wednesday.

"We thought it was important to have a meeting of all the 27 member states.

"I think it was in that context that he [Sarkozy] made the points he made. We have a clear interest as do other members of the European Union in what happens in the eurozone."

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/10/20111024141423978667.html

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