After insult, U.S. and Clinton call for
Duterte to show respect
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[September 07, 2016]
By Arshad Mohammed and Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON/TAMPA (Reuters) - The U.S. State
Department and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on
Tuesday stressed the need for ties with the Philippines to be based on
mutual respect, after Manila's new leader raised worries about the
future of the key alliance by calling President Barack Obama a "son of a
bitch."
Despite U.S. dismay over Duterte's remarks, current and former U.S.
officials played down the impact, saying they did not expect any serious
damage to ties at a time of high tensions over China's extensive
territorial claims in Asia.
The State Department said a planned first meeting between Obama and his
counterpart Rodrigo Duterte on the sidelines of a regional summit in
Laos on Tuesday was canceled because the tone of the Philippine leader's
rhetoric raised questions about the chances of productive talks.
"Words matter, and we want to see an atmosphere that is cordial and open
to strong cooperation," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a
regular news briefing in Washington.
Clinton, who as secretary of state was an architect of Obama's policy of
emphasizing the importance of the Asia Pacific to U.S. interests in the
face of a rising China, said Obama was right to cancel the meeting.
"When the president of the Philippines insulted our president, it was
appropriate in a very low-key way to say: sorry, no meeting," she told
reporters on her campaign plane.
"We have a lot of ties between the United States and the Philippines.
And I think it's very important that we have a relationship, but there
has to be a certain level of respect that is expected on both sides,"
Clinton said.
Duterte made the remark about Obama while explaining that he would not
be lectured over extrajudicial killings in the war against drugs he has
launched since taking over two months ago and which has killed about
2,400 people.
He has previously called the pope a "son of a whore" and the U.S.
ambassador a "gay son of whore."
The Philippines voiced regret for Duterte's comments after Obama
canceled a formal bilateral meeting. The White House then said Obama
might speak with Duterte informally.
"FEELING HIS WAY"
Duterte's volatile nature threatens to complicate Washington's ties with
its closest ally in Southeast Asia as it tries to forge a united front
in the region in response to China's extensive claims in the strategic
South China Sea.
The Philippines has been central in this effort due to an international
court case it brought and won against Beijing.
In March, the United States and the Philippines agreed on five locations
for U.S. military facilities in the country under a new security deal.
The deal grants Washington increased military presence in its former
colony through rotation of ships and planes for humanitarian and
maritime security operations.
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a news conference
in Davao city, southern Philippines August 21, 2016. REUTERS/Lean
Daval Jr/File Photo
Asked about Duterte's comments, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
said the defense relationship with the Philippines was a "strong"
and "longstanding" one.
Speaking to reporters, Carter also described the Philippines' new
defense minister, Delfin Lorenzana, as someone who was "very
knowledgeable about all the things that we do together."
An official of the U.S. State Department said "government to
government" relations with Manila remained strong.
"The areas that we believe we have robust, strong cooperation with
them, we are not going to just simply throw that aside.”
The official noted that Duterte was new to national leadership
having served as a city mayor.
"He is maybe feeling his way into the new job," the official said.
Former U.S. officials said China would be pleased by the
U.S.-Philippines friction.
“Time will tell whether President Duterte steps back from this
episode and realizes he needs to recalibrate his choice of words in
engaging U.S. leaders,” said Amy Searight, a former senior Pentagon
official now at Washington's Center for Strategic and International
Studies think tank.
Evan Medeiros, Obama’s former top Asia adviser and now a senior
analyst at the Eurasia Group, saw the row as a “speed bump, not a
road block” in U.S.-Philippines ties.
“It's unfortunate, but doesn’t fundamentally derail the
relationship,” he said.
(Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom, Matt Spetalnick and
Patricia Zengerle in Washington and Phil Stewart in London; Editing
by Stuart Grudgings.)
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