Obama: President Duterte Remark Not Personal

United States President Barack Obama said that the comments of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte were nothing personal.

Early this week, just before the meeting of the two leaders on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit at Laos, Duterte stressed that Obama should not lecture him over his anti-drug campaign, wherein a number of drug suspects have been killed since he assumed office two months ago.

United States President Barack Obama and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (cnn.com photo)

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Obama said that he did not take the remark of Duterte personally “because it seems that this is a phrase he's used repeatedly, directed at the Pope and other.”

He added: “I think it seems to be just a habit, a way of speaking for him.”

Obama and Duterte were scheduled to formally meet Tuesday but the American leader cancelled the meeting due to the incident.

This prompted Duterte to issue a statement, expressing his “regret” on the strong comment, which was perceived as an attack against Obama.

Obama assured that the incident will not mar the relationship of America and the Philippines.

Moreover, Obama confirmed that he met with Duterte Wednesday night before the gala dinner.

“I did shake hands with President Duterte last night. It was not a 

long interaction. And what I indicated to him is that my team should be meeting with his and determine how we can move forward on a whole range of issues,” Obama said.

The American leader pointed out that he want to partner with the 

Philippines to address the problem of narco-traffickers, as he noted that it is a serious problem around the world, not only in the Philippines and the United States.

However, Obama pointed out that “we do want to make sure that the partnership we have is consistent with international norms and rule of law.”

Source: GMA