“And I think it’s very important that we have a relationship, but there has to be a certain level of respect that is expected on both sides”, Clinton said.
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However, after fears that the two would not get along were allayed during their brief banquet meeting, Duterte once again attracted the spotlight by calling UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “a fool”.
Obama cancelled Tuesday’s planned meeting with Duterte on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-hosted summit after the notoriously acid-tongued Philippine president launched a barrage of insults the previous day.
Presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said Thursday that the throbbing headache would have made it hard for Duterte to concentrate amid the overwhelming barrage of summitry.
“… I said that, but not in relation to Obama”, he was quoted as saying by the news agency.
Notorious for his tirades and for cursing during interviews and speeches, he later expressed regret for offending Obama.
Closing out his final presidential trip to Asia, Obama said his meetings with foreign leaders during stops in China and Laos had illustrated that governing is “serious business” requiring knowledge, preparation and thought-out policies that can actually be implemented. “It’s not son of a whore”, he told an audience of Filipinos during a visit to the Indonesian capital Jakarta. I said I never made the statement.
Mr Obama shrugged off the comments, saying he didn’t take it personally and confirmed he shook Mr Duterte’s hands. He insisted his remarks were not directed at Obama but at the US State Department, which has raised concerns over potential human rights violations in Duterte’s anti-crime campaign which has left nearly 3,000 dead in just over two months.
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Duterte missed his attendance at the ASEAN-United Nations Summit Wednesday because it was in conflict with his scheduled courtesy call on Laos President Bounnhang Vorachith at the Presidential Palace. “Sabi ko, isa ka pang tarantado (you are another fool)”. Duterte has refused to backtrack on his campaign against illegal drugs, despite global criticism, and turned down a meeting with Ban Ki-Moon at the summit in Laos. More than 2,000 people have been killed in the crackdown since he took office on June 30. “Do not just throw questions”, Duterte said.
