Duterte threatens to swear at Obama at ASEAN Summit
Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has warned US President Barack Obama not to question him about reports of extrajudicial killings when they meet in Laos later, using a vulgar Tagalog term to describe him.
His comments, made in reply to a reporter in Manila about how he will explain the killings, prompted a response from Obama, suggesting he may refuse to meet with him.
The US president “must be respectful” and not “throw questions,” Duterte was quoted by AP as saying before flying to Laos. “Putang ina, I will swear at you in that forum." The phrase in Tagalog means "son of a b****."
"Who does he think he is? I am no American puppet. I am the president of a sovereign country and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people," he asserted. "Look at the human rights of America along that line. The way they treat the migrants there."
"Clearly, he's a colorful guy," Obama said. "What I've instructed my team to do is talk to their Philippine counterparts to find out is this in fact a time where we can have some constructive, productive conversations."
"I always want to make sure if I'm having a meeting, it's productive," he added, noting still that "if and when" the two meet, he will "undoubtedly" bring up human rights and due process concerns.
"We will always assert the need to have due process," he said.
After launching a war on drugs upon taking office in January, Duterte is said to have killed more than 2,000 suspected drug sellers and users.
The two world leaders were scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the 28th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on Tuesday.
The White House announced later that the meeting had been canceled.
The US president arrived in the capital Vientiane late Monday to become the first sitting American president to visit Laos.
US 'bolstered' armed groups to oust Assad in Syria: Report
Washington was ‘aware’ of Israel’s nuclear weapons production since 1960s: Declassified doc.
Blinken visits Turkey as tensions escalate over proxies in Syria
Leader: Iran has no proxy forces in West Asia
US fighter aircraft shot down ‘in friendly fire’ amid aggression on Yemen
Yemeni FM: Israel’s sponsors accountable for ongoing aggression on Sana’a
Eight Palestinians killed as Israel attacks Gaza school, hospitals
VIDEO | Rome, Milan host new protests in solidarity with Palestinians
Dec. 21: ‘Axis of Resistance’ operations against Israeli occupation
Spain jurists demand ties with Israel ties be cut
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
