“I am the president of a sovereign country and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people”, Duterte said in his address.
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Diaz met Brong Yang, 8, who still has shrapnel in his side. Taking its turn as the chair of the regional forum, the Laos’ communist government is using the moment to seize the spotlight.
His statement Tuesday concerning Obama and the United States was high on compromise, low on bluster. The outreach is a core element of his attempt to shift US diplomatic and military resources away from the Middle East and into Asia in order to counter China in the region and ensure a USA foothold in growing markets. Obama vowed to work with the United Nations to tighten sanctions against Pyongyang, but said the door wasn’t closed to a more functional relationship.
“He expressed his deep regard and affinity for President Obama and for the enduring partnership between our nations”, the statement continues, though it does not indicate whether he did so for the purposes of the statement or sent a message saying so to Obama personally.
So with just four months left in office, Obama used his historic trip to Laos to reassert his aims. The Philippines has limited military strength and needs USA backing to counter the Asian giant.
“At the time, the USA government did not acknowledge America’s role [in Laos]”.
“We believe that bigger nations should not dictate to smaller nations and that all nations should play by the same rules”, he said. The two leaders had planned to meet, but after Duterte’s comments the White House said the meeting would not happen. He announced that Washington would provide an additional $90 million over three years to help clear unexploded ordnance, which has killed or wounded over 20,000 people.
While Obama said too few Americans know of the United States’ covert bombing of Laos during the Vietnam War, he offered no apologies for the bombing itself.
As he opened a day of ceremony and diplomacy, Obama was greeted by a military band, traditional dancers and a warm, tropical rain.
The statement from Duterte expressed regrets that his comments had caused “much controversy” and said that he looked forward to “ironing out differences”.
The vast majority of the Philippines’ citizens are Catholic, and though the remark didn’t notably hurt Duterte’s popularity, he did say upon his election that he wanted to ask the pope’s forgiveness for the remark. Noting that India’s ties with the countries of South East Asia are “truly historic”, he said, “our engagement and approach can be best encapsulated in just one word – connectivity”.
Before departing Monday for a regional summit in Laos, Duterte warned Obama not to lecture him about a crackdown on drug traffickers that has resulted in more than 2,000 killings since he took office in June.
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White House officials previously said Obama would confront the Philippines President about his country’s handling of drug dealers, including extra-judicial killings, or government executions without the benefit of judicial proceedings.
