US President Barack Obama cancels scheduled meeting in a summit with President Rodrigo Duterte, as reported by the White House on Monday, September 6.
Obama said that he expects the U.S. and the Philippines to maintain close relations. The countries are longstanding treaty allies, and Manila relies on American support in its territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. Washington is also due to deploy troops to the Philippines as part of the Obama administration’s strategy of balancing to the Asia-Pacific region under terms of a 2014 defense pact.
“I always want to make sure if I’m having a meeting that it’s productive and we’re getting something done. If and when we have a meeting, this is something that is going to be brought up,” CNN quotes Obama, who is referring to the Philippines’ controversial record of combating drug crime since Duterte took office earlier this year.
Administration officials didn’t elaborate on the administration’s calculation in canceling the meeting, or whether the talks ordered by Mr. Obama ended without a resolution, but made clear it came in response to Duterte’s comments in a press conference on Monday.
Responding to questions from local reporters Monday about how he would react if Mr. Obama raised the human-rights issue, Duterte appeared angry and blamed the U.S.—which ran the Philippines as a colony until 1946—for causing the country’s problems.
“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,” Duterte was quoted by CNN. “Son of a b****, I will swear at you.
“As a matter of fact, we inherited this problem from the United States,” he said. “Why? Because they invaded this country and made us their subjugated people. Everybody has a terrible record of extra-judicial killing. Why make an issue about fighting crime?”
Obama and Duterte had been set to meet in Laos this week, where Obama is attending a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders. Obama instead will meet on Tuesday with President Park Geun-hye of South Korea.
