“For the people of Laos, this war was no secret”, Obama said.
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A day after announcing $90 million to survey and remove unexploded ordinance, Obama visited a US-backed NGO which helps provide prosthetics to the tens of thousands maimed by USA munitions.
Still, he offered no apologies, calling the campaign and its aftermath reminders that “whatever the cause, whatever our intentions, war inflicts a bad toll”.
US President Barack Obama tours the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise Center in Vientiane on Sept 7, 2016. “For the people of Laos, the war was also something that was not contained to the battlefield”.
Obama is the first sitting USA president to set foot in the impoverished, landlocked country, where for nine years the US conducted a punishing, covert bombing campaign in an effort to cut off communist forces in neighboring Vietnam.
Much of the country is still littered with deadly munitions, including millions of cluster “bomblets” that kill to this day. Taking its turn as the chair of the regional forum, the Laos’ communist government is seizing a rare moment in the spotlight.
“We have a lot of ties between the United States and the Philippines”. The outreach is a core element of Obama’s attempt to shift USA diplomatic and military resources away from the Middle East and into Asia in order to counter China’s dominance in the region and ensure a foothold in growing markets.
“Clearly, he’s a colorful guy”, Obama said afterward.
In addition to the above diplomatic spats, Obama couldn’t gather a broad consensus for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, which has been the cornerstone of the whole strategy.
In March, the United States and the Philippines agreed on five locations for USA military facilities in the country under a new security deal.
“We believe that bigger nations should not dictate to smaller nations and that all nations should play by the same rules”, he said.
The White House now says that Obama may still meet with Duterte, but only informally.
An official of the US State Department said “government to government” relations with Manila remained strong.
Obama has been greeted by a military band, traditional dancers and a tropical rain.
“It’s unfortunate, but doesn’t fundamentally derail the relationship”, he said.
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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. Obama cancelled a meeting with Duterte.
