Obama, attending an Asian leaders summit in Laos, said Thursday that Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte must “make sure” that his new government’s deadly crackdown on narcotics suspects was done the “right way” so innocent people did not get hurt.
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“They met at a holding room and they were the last persons to leave the holding room”.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Pefecto Yasay told reporters, “I am confirming that they met”.
US President Barack Obama and Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte had a brief face-to-face encounter, days after a very public spat.
But Obama ended up exchanging pleasantries with Duterte on the summit’s sidelines.
Duterte also missed the Asean-US summit with US President Barack Obama, which was scheduled at 10:15 a.m.to 11:15 a.m.
“We have to talk [about] the full spectrum of the human rights”, the source quoted Duterte as saying, as the Philippine president reportedly “shocked” some people in the room.
“I realize this raises tensions”, Obama said as he met with ASEAN leader, referring to a recent worldwide arbitration ruling against China on the maritime dispute.
“I am happy. This shows that the relationship between the two allies is strong”, Yasay said.
After Obama pulled the plug on their meeting, Duterte expressed regret for his comments.
“The Philippines will also initiate efforts to drive economic growth, such as inclusive business models in the Asean and collaboration with U.S. companies”, it added.
While the USA wanted to partner with the Philippines on thwarting drug traffickers it also would want “to make sure the partnership we have is consistent with global norms and rule of law”, Obama said.
President Duterte, known for his controversial remarks, had previously called US Secretary of State John Kerry “crazy” and referred to Pope Francis as the “son of a whore”.
The article did not say how long their meeting was but that it was mutually agreed upon. But contrary from the report, he seated far from the two.
Mr. Duterte was elected to office in a landslide this year after pledging to kill 100,000 people in an unprecedented war on illegal drugs.
“I continue to believe that Guantanamo is a recruitment tool for terrorist organizations, that it clouds and sours some of the counter-terrorism cooperation we need to engage in”, Obama said. More than 2,000 people have killed in the crackdown since he took office on June 30.
The United Nations special rapporteur on summary executions, Agnes Callamard, has warned incitement to kill is a crime under global law.
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An Indonesian diplomat said Duterte held up a picture of Filipinos killed in colonial times to underscore his point. He said that in recent years, the US and Asia had solidified “unprecedented” cooperation that will create more prosperity for their peoples.
