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Duterte says Trump wished his drug crackdown a success

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday (Dec 3) that Mr Donald Trump wished his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs would succeed during a telephone call, and he assured the US president-elect that the Philippines would maintain its ties with America — a departure from Mr Duterte’s hostility toward the Obama administration.

In this Oct 26, 2016 file photo, Philippine President Duterte delivers a speech at the Philippine Economic Forum in Tokyo. Mr  Duterte, who has lashed out at US President Barack Obama for criticising his deadly crackdown on drugs, said his ties with the United States are likely to improve under Mr Trump, but that he is also excited to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin at an upcoming Asia-Pacific summit. Photo: AP

In this Oct 26, 2016 file photo, Philippine President Duterte delivers a speech at the Philippine Economic Forum in Tokyo. Mr Duterte, who has lashed out at US President Barack Obama for criticising his deadly crackdown on drugs, said his ties with the United States are likely to improve under Mr Trump, but that he is also excited to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin at an upcoming Asia-Pacific summit. Photo: AP

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MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday (Dec 3) that Mr Donald Trump wished his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs would succeed during a telephone call, and he assured the US president-elect that the Philippines would maintain its ties with America — a departure from Mr Duterte’s hostility toward the Obama administration.

Mr Duterte called to congratulate Mr Trump late on Friday in their first talk that was described by an aide of the Philippine president as “very engaging, animated conversation” in which both leaders invited each other to visit his country.

In a video released by Mr Duterte’s close aide, Mr Bong Go, the Philippine leader is seen smiling while talking to Mr Trump and saying: “We will maintain ... and enhance the bilateral ties between our two countries.”

The other parts of the conversation were not aired in the video but in a statement released by his aides, Mr Duterte said: “He was wishing me success in my campaign against the drug problem.”

“He understood the way we are handling it and I said that there’s nothing wrong in protecting a country,” Mr Duterte said. “It was a bit very encouraging in the sense that I supposed that what he really wanted to say was that we would be the last to interfere in the affairs of your own country.”

“He said that ... well, we are doing it as a sovereign nation, the right way,’’ Mr Duterte said in his statement. It was unclear whether he or Mr Trump remarked that the widely criticised crackdown was being carried out properly.

Mr Duterte has lashed out at President Barack Obama, the State Department, EU and UN officials and human rights groups for raising concerns over the crackdown, which has left more than 4,000 suspected drug dealers and user dead, including many who are feared to have been gunned down in gangland-style killings.

While being antagonistic to the US, his country’s treaty ally, Mr Duterte has reached out to China and Russia.

Mr Obama cancelled what could have been their first formal meeting in an Asian summit in Laos in September after Mr Duterte unleashed an expletive-laden warning for the US leader not to lecture him on human rights. In one speech, Mr Duterte asked Mr Obama to “go to hell”.

Mr Duterte has repeatedly threatened to scale back the presence of visiting US troops and joint combat exercises with the Americans, but he and his defence officials have walked back on most of those threats. In one speech while visiting Beijing, Mr Duterte announced he would separate from the US but later clarified that he meant he would chart a foreign policy that does not lean toward America.

During their talk, Mr Trump invited Mr Duterte to visit the White House next year and Mr Duterte asked the incoming US leader to attend an East Asian summit to be hosted by the Philippines next year, according to Mr Go.

“He said that he will try his best to be here. He wants to attend the summit and that would be great for our country,” Mr Duterte said. AP

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