Philippines, Sept. 06, 2016 – Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte expressed regret for calling President Barack Obama of United States “son of whore”, a day after Obama cancelled talks with him before heading to Laos.
He also warned Obama not to question him over extrajudicial killings in Philippines where over 2,000 suspected drug dealers have been killed.
National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement that a meeting between the two leaders would be rescheduled for a later date.
Speaking on the cancellation of the bilateral talk with Obama, Duterte explained that the immediate cause for the cancellation was his strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress.
“We also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US president. Our primary intention is to chart an independent foreign policy while promoting closer ties with all nations, especially the US with which we had had a longstanding partnership.
“We look forward to ironing out differences arising out of national priorities and perceptions, and working in mutually responsible ways for both countries,” he Duterte said in the statement.
