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Barack Obama, Rodrigo Duterte meet despite Filipino leader’s crude language

Shortly after the comments were reported, the White House canceled a scheduled meeting with Duterte.

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After the summit, Obama said the US and the South will work together to make sure to close loopholes in sanctions on the North and making them even more effective.

Duterte made the remark about Obama while explaining that he would not be lectured over extrajudicial killings in the war against drugs he has launched since taking over two months ago and which has killed about 2,400 people.

Obama expressed confidence that the introduction of the goods and services tax would “unleash significant economic activity in (India)”.

Despite these claims, images from the dinner quickly revealed that Duterte was not, in fact, seated next to Obama or Ban.

“With respect to the bilateral meeting, I think it was our judgment that given the focus of attention on President Duterte’s comments leading into the meetings here, we felt that that did not create a constructive environment for a bilateral meeting”. In March, the United States and the Philippines agreed to a new security deal that grants Washington increased military presence in its former colony through rotation of ships and planes for humanitarian and maritime security operations.

The U.S.is one of the Philippines’ largest trading partners and a key security ally in its fight against terrorism in the country’s south. Manila also needs Washington’s help in dealing with a more assertive China in the disputed South China Sea.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed regret Tuesday over his “son of a bitch” remark while referring to President Barack Obama, in a rare display of contrition by a politician whose wide arc of profanities has unabashedly targeted world figures including the pope and the United Nations chief.

“He has to experience it”, he said.

Obama said shortly afterward that he did plan to discuss his concerns about Duterte’s record on human rights, a subject he nearly always broaches with other world leaders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with US President Barack Obama this afternoon in their eight one-on-one interaction in the last two years.

Obama said that his stops at worldwide summits in China and Laos showed that governing is “serious business” that requires USA presidents to be well-informed, have coherent policy ideas and the temperament to implement them.

“I’m very happy that it happened”.

President Barack Obama said Thursday that Republican Donald Trump confirms his belief that Trump isn’t qualified to be president “every time he speaks”, adding that he was confident Americans would ultimately reject the brash billionaire on Election Day.

He used the Tagalog phrase for “son of a bitch”, and on Tuesday expressed regret that his comments came across as a personal attack against the US leader.

During a speech earlier, Obama said the USA focuses on improving human rights in other nations when he travels overseas because it has learned that if you don’t respect all people or religions, then it results in conflict. “The areas that we believe we have robust, strong co-operation with them, we are not going to just simply throw that aside”.

Asked how the meeting with Duterte and Obama might go down, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told reporters: “It’s hard to speculate, but certainly they will have their drinks and food together”. “But I also look forward to discussing how we can constructively move forward together to lower tensions and promote diplomacy and regional stability”.

Earlier Wednesday, Obama said the United States has a “profound moral and humanitarian obligation” to support efforts to clear bombs its forces dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War.

Yasay, however, insisted that the relationship between the countries is “firm and strong”.

“The media from all over the world, including from the Philippines, are up in excitement as each await the event where the two leaders will possibly say something positive”, the statement from the presidential palace said.

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Obama responded to Duterte’s vulgarities, offering a reason for the cancellation.

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