He offered no apologies, calling the campaign and its aftermath reminders that “whatever the cause, whatever our intentions, war inflicts a bad toll”. “He’s the most powerful president of any country on the planet”.
Advertisement
Millions of unexploded cluster bombs remain in the Laotian countryside from a nine-year US covert bombing campaign that was aimed at cutting off communist forces in neighboring Vietnam.
Obama is recounting the nine-year “secret war” that the USA conducted in Laos during the Vietnam War.
Diaz met Brong Yang, 8, who still has shrapnel in his side. I had an argument with their gay ambassador, the son of a whore.
Obama and Duterte had been set to meet in Laos this week, where Obama is attending a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders. “Having said that, I don’t see any drastic change in the long-standing friendly relations between the Philippines and the United States”, Lacson said.
Obama’s project to shift USA diplomatic and military resources from the Middle East to Asia has been dubbed his Asia pivot.
Mr. Obama said America’s interest in the Asia-Pacific isn’t new and is not a passing fad.
“As a matter of fact, we inherited this problem from the United States”, he said. It’s estimated that over 2,000 killings in a span of just two months. He touted new military aid and USA support for regional cooperation in addressing maritime disputes.
“We do not condone these acts”, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said.
“We believe that bigger nations should not dictate to smaller nations and that all nations should play by the same rules”, he said.
Obama is on a historic visit Laos to heal war wounds and reinvigorate relations with a country with rising strategic importance to the U.S.
The Obama administration says it will commit $90 million over the next three years to clear unexploded bombs the US dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War.
The White House canceled the meeting shortly after Duterte’s comments.
Obama has been greeted by a military band, traditional dancers and a tropical rain.
President Barack Obama is offering a luncheon toast to “the dignity and the future” of the people of Laos.
Mr. Obama’s outreach to those regional powers hit a snag just as he arrived in the region from China.
White House officials previously said Obama would confront Duterte about his country’s handling of drug dealers, including extrajudicial killings, which are government executions without the benefit of judicial proceedings.
“President Duterte explained that the press reports that President Obama would “lecture” him on extrajudicial killings led to his strong comments, which in turn elicited concern”, the Government said in a statement.
Advertisement
“We look forward to ironing out differences arising out of national priorities and perceptions”, the statement released on Tuesday read.
