U.S. President Barack Obama cancelled what would have been his first meeting with Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, a White House spokesman said on Tuesday, after Duterte described Obama as a “son of a bitch”.
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Obama on Monday became the first USA president to visit Laos, a historic trip during which he will attend a summit of the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, and of other countries of East Asia.
“What I’ve instructed my team to do is talk to their Philippine counterparts to find out if this is in fact a time where we can have some constructive, productive conversations”, Obama said.
He was to meet with Obama on the sidelines of the summit today during which the USA president was reportedly planning to speak to his Filipino counterpart about human rights.
President Rodrigo Duterte said he regretted that his comments came across as a personal attack on the United States president. “We will end up disrespecting each other if you do that to me”.
Obama said he would “undoubtedly” address human rights concerns “if and when” he meets with Duterte, but the U.S.is in an awkward position.
Barack Obama, who was in China for a Group of 20 meeting, departed on Monday for Laos, becoming the first American president to visit the nation.
He called Pope Francis a “son of a w****” in May, and called U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg a “gay son of a w****”.
The pair were scheduled to meet in Laos at a gathering organised by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, an annual event meant to foster harmony that often instead highlights regional rows.
Speaking to reporters, Duterte, who took office in June, said the Philippines is a “sovereign state and we have long ceased to be a colony”, according to the Associated Press.
The cancelled meeting follows Duterte’s verbal attack on the US Government after it raised concerns about the Philippines’ approach to drug policing and extrajudicial killings.
Obama’s aides announced before dawn on Tuesday that his planned meeting later in the day with Duterte had been called off. Last week, Duterte said he was ready to defend his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs, which has sparked concern from the United States and other countries.
The setback in relations between the United States and the Philippines comes at a crucial time in the region, with China seeking to cement control over the contested South China Sea.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival territorial claims to the sea.
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MANILA-An anti-American rant by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, which was later recanted, cast a shadow on Washington’s bid to bolster ties with Asian allies such as Manila to help offset China’s growing might.
