'Hello dear' - Giuliani answers cell phone during speech

Washington - Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani startled a US gun-lobby audience Friday when he interrupted his speech to take a phone call from his wife - and it didn't seem to be an emergency. The former New York mayor, whose leadership of the city after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has propelled his candidacy, fished out his ringing cell phone while addressing delegates of the politically powerful National Rifle Association.

"Hello dear. I'm talking to the members of the NRA right now. Would you like to say hello?" he chirped. "I love you, and I'll give you a call as soon as I'm finished, OK? OK, have a safe trip."

Audience members chuckled, then clapped as Giuliani closed with another "I love you."

Giuliani, who supported gun control as New York mayor, had perhaps the toughest job among the centre-right Republican Party candidates who presented their stands at an NRA conference in Washington, an early part of the buildup to the 2008 presidential election.

The 4.3-million-member NRA's endorsement carries considerable weight, especially for Republican candidates.

NRA executive vice president Wayne Lapierre said that the phone call appeared to be authentic, and the audience took it in stride.

"I think it was a light-hearted moment, and they were amused by it," he told Cable News Network (CNN), though he added: "I don't know that I'd have a cell phone in my pocket on during a speech."

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