Obama said his reception in Asia has been “terrific”, and, aiming to put pressure back on Trump, added that world leaders seem more concerned about the possibility that his successor will pull back from deep engagement with the continent.
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Duterte made his foul-mouthed comments on September 5 in response to a reporter’s question on the possibility that Obama will raise the issue of drug-related killings. On Tuesday Obama cancelled planned talks after the firebrand Duterte called him the ‘son of a bitch’.
He may have cursed a lot, but President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday clarified none of it was directed at U.S. President Barack Obama.
Despite growing condemnation of the comments and what rights groups say are rampant extrajudicial killings, Duterte has vowed to continue. He further confirmed that his team will be meeting with Durterte soon to discuss how the can move forward with varying issues.
In Laos, he had then asked the heads of state, “can anyone here tell me what human rights is all about?”
“Do I care to defend – okay, okay, respond, got it”, Obama said, chuckling.
“People start thinking behavior that in normal times we would consider completely unacceptable and outrageous becomes normalized”, Obama said during a news conference at the tail end of his visit to Laos.
Obama said the United States and Southeast Asian nations gathered in Laos have advanced a vision of an open, competitive economic system in which all nations play by the same rules.
One of Duterte’s Cabinet members, Jesus Dureza, said he asked the Philippine president about his discussion with Obama.
“I think it seems to be just a habit, a way of speaking for him”, Obama said.
Yasay declined to elaborate on what Duterte said at the East Asia meeting but the President, during a speech before the Filipino community in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday, confirmed that he did talk about the bloody USA pacification campaign against the Moros.
Duterte has made a name for himself, internationally implementing his signature campaign promise: a “bloody” war on drug addicts and drug traffickers. Over 2,000 people have been killed in a crackdown on suspected drug dealers and users since Duterte assumed office in June.
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Obama initially responded by calling Duterte a “colorful guy”, but then called off the meeting after the global media reported heavily on the issue.
