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Asean, China code for sea encounters

Barack Obama says Colin Kaepernick 'exercising constitutional right'

Barack Obama briefly met with Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday (Sep 7), Manila said, two days after the firebrand politician branded the United States president a "son of a whore".

Between 1964 and 1973 a secret CIA-led operation to cut supplies to the Vietcong resulted in two million tons of ordinance being dropped on Laos - more than the combined total dropped on both Japan and Germany during World War Two.

Obama, in turn, called Duterte "a colorful guy" and signaled that the bi-lateral, face-to-face meeting may be canceled.

"They met at the holding room and they were the last persons to leave the holding room".

Again, the Philippine president later said he was only joking, but this week, Duterte said he would not meet with the United Nations secretary general at the ASEAN summit as he had "no time".

In his speech to the people of Laos at the Lao National Cultural Hall, Obama, the first sitting USA president to set foot in the country, acknowledged the devastation caused by American bombing in the Laotian Civil War, pledged US$90 million to help clean up unexploded bombs in Laos, and stressed the bond and new partnership between the two countries.

MALACAÑANG guaranteed Wednesday that there was "no diplomatic crisis" between the Philippines and the United States (US) as bilateral relationship of the two countries remain intact.

Marciano Paynor, chief Philippine protocol officer and incoming Philippine ambassador to the United States, said Duterte was learning "quick" during the summit, his global debut since becoming president on June 30.

The state department and Democrat presidential candidate Clinton have both suggested the president was correct to withdraw from the meeting - suggesting there should be more respect shown to Obama. Duterte took office only two months ago, but in that time more than 2,400 people have been killed for their associations, presumed or otherwise, to the Philippines' drug trade.

"When the president of the Philippines insulted our president, it was appropriate in a very low-key way to say: sorry, no meeting", Clinton said in comments carried by Reuters.

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". I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. The President later retracted his statement, saying it was just a joke.

Leading up to the summit, Duterte said that he would not discuss human rights issues with Obama until the USA apologizes for the pacification campaign of the Moro people in Mindanao at the turn of the century in which 600 died. Duterte blasted Obama as a "son of a bitch" and warned he would not tolerate any violation of Philippines sovereignty he said such a question would entail, after which the White House canceled their planned parley.

Later in the speech, Obama said he believes that "nations are stronger and more successful when they uphold human rights".

The document said the leaders agreed to use the safety and communication procedures for the safety of all the naval ships and naval aircraft, as set out in CUES, when they encounter each other in the South China Sea.

"You must be respectful", Duterte said, after a reporter asked him how he might respond to criticism from Obama about his approach to combating crime.

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Asean, China code for sea encounters