He says the war wasn’t contained to the battlefield because the bombs have killed farmers and of children who thought they could be toys.
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“In good times and bad, you can count on the United States of America”, Obama said.
As in Vietnam Obama stopped short of issuing any kind of apology for American military action, but recognised the suffering it had caused all sides. He later apologized and explained that it was due to continuous pressure from the US officials over his war against drugs, in which 2000 people have died.
The $90 million is a relatively small sum for the USA but a significant investment for a small country in one of the poorer corners of the world. Instead, he said he hoped the strengthened partnership on clearing the bombs could mark a “decisive step forward” between the U.S. and this landlocked communist nation.
President Barack Obama says Americans can get “lazy” and insular, and he hopes his presidency has helped broaden their worldview. Of all the provinces in landlocked Laos, only one has a comprehensive system to care for bomb survivors.
The punishing air campaign on Laos was an effort to cut off communist forces in neighboring Vietnam. The bombardment dropped more than 2 million tons of ordnance on the small nation, more than “we dropped on Germany and Japan, combined, in all of World War II”, Obama said.
Philippine Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said there was still a possibility there could be some sort of a meeting between the two leaders, who are attending the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Laos.
U.S. President Barrack Obama’s one of the signature policies have been “Asia-Pacific Pivot”, which was targeted to increase the influence of America in the region to prevent China’s expansion desire. Is Obama trying to lure Laos into a closer relationship to counter China?
The State Department said a planned first meeting between Obama and his counterpart Rodrigo Duterte on the sidelines of a regional summit in Laos on Tuesday was canceled because the tone of the Philippine leader’s rhetoric raised questions about the chances of productive talks.
Clinton, who played a pivotal role in pushing for USA interests in the Asia Pacific region as part of the Obama administration’s foreign policy, said: “When the president of the Philippines insulted our president, it was appropriate in a very low-key way to say: sorry, no meeting”.
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Obama filled the hole in his schedule by meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in a display of unity a day after North Korea fired three ballistic missiles.
