Ireneo Fidel Cornista, Philippine Liason Offi cer to Brunei and a member of the presidential protocol team, told journalists that Duterte’s absence at the UN-Asean summit was “not intentional” and was only caused by delays in the Asean-China meeting.
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“They met at the holding room and they were the last persons to leave the holding room”.
“I recognize this raises tensions but I also look forward to discussing how we can constructively move together to lower tensions and promote diplomacy and regional stability”, Obama said.
“They will pay. When the time comes, I will eat you in front of people”, he said while speaking in Lagos during the ASEAN summit.
During a speech earlier, Obama said the US 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 article says that the reason President Duterte lashed out was because he was reacting to a Filipino reporter’s questions during that press conference. Do not just throw away questions and statements.
Supposed seatmates Obama & Ban both have history with Duterte for their remarks on rampant extra judicial-killings in the Philippines since his reign, to which he responded with insults & threats to leave the United Nations (only a joke, he followed), respectively.
The East Asia Summit the same day will be attended by leaders of the 10 Asean nations and those of India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Russian Federation.
His language prompted Obama to cancel a planned formal meeting between them that had been scheduled for Tuesday.
Duterte has expressed “regret” that his expletive-laden remarks “came across as a personal attack on the United States president”.
For reporters covering the dinner, the prospect of a meeting or handshake between Obama and Mr. Duterte was the story of the evening.
A Philippine department of foreign affairs spokesman, Charles Joe, also said Mr Obama and Mr Duterte met in the holding room.
The White House says the US president might still meet with his Filipino counterpart, but only informally.
On Wednesday, Obama and Duterte shook hands and talked briefly before attending a gala dinner at the summit. “As a matter of fact, America has one too many to answer for”, he said.
“We will be wallowing in the mud like pigs if you do that to me”, he added.
“More people will be killed, plenty will be killed until the last pusher is out of the streets”, Duterte said on Monday.
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But he said the overall relationship between the two nations is still solid.
