Rody to Obama: not a personal attack
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday regrets issuing “strong” remarks against United States President Barack Obama, which had been perceived and misunderstood as a “personal attack.”
In a statement, Duterte said that even after Obama cancelled their scheduled meeting, he remained bullish that they would be able to “iron out” differences between them.
“While the immediate cause was my strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress. [I] also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US President,” Duterte said in press statement read by communications secretary Martin Andanar.
“We look forward to ironing out difference arising out of national priorities and perceptions, and working in mutually responsible ways for both countries,” he added.
The President was referring to his statement on Monday that he would not allow Obama to “lecture” him on the spate of killings of drug personalities in the country, which caused alarm to human rights’ advocates and international community.
Following Duterte’s statement, Obama initially mulled whether he would meet the former or not. He then decided to cancel the meeting on early Tuesday.
Duterte, however, said that he and Obama agreed to move their supposed meeting “to a later date.”
“The meeting between the United States and the Philippines has been mutually agreed upon to be moved to a later date,” he said. “Our primary intention is to chart an independent foreign policy while promoting closer ties with all nations, especially the US with which we have had a long standing partnership.”
“Duterte stressed that in securing and preserving the rights liberties of our people, it is imperative that the fight against illegal drugs, terrorists, crimes, and poverty must be one in order to preserve the principle and values, upon which our democratic life is anchored,” Andanar added. AJRSP
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| Photo by : AP |
“While the immediate cause was my strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress. [I] also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US President,” Duterte said in press statement read by communications secretary Martin Andanar.
“We look forward to ironing out difference arising out of national priorities and perceptions, and working in mutually responsible ways for both countries,” he added.
The President was referring to his statement on Monday that he would not allow Obama to “lecture” him on the spate of killings of drug personalities in the country, which caused alarm to human rights’ advocates and international community.
Following Duterte’s statement, Obama initially mulled whether he would meet the former or not. He then decided to cancel the meeting on early Tuesday.
Duterte, however, said that he and Obama agreed to move their supposed meeting “to a later date.”
“The meeting between the United States and the Philippines has been mutually agreed upon to be moved to a later date,” he said. “Our primary intention is to chart an independent foreign policy while promoting closer ties with all nations, especially the US with which we have had a long standing partnership.”
“Duterte stressed that in securing and preserving the rights liberties of our people, it is imperative that the fight against illegal drugs, terrorists, crimes, and poverty must be one in order to preserve the principle and values, upon which our democratic life is anchored,” Andanar added. AJRSP
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Rody to Obama: not a personal attack
Reviewed by Kristian S.
on
06 September
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Reviewed by Kristian S.
on
06 September
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