Rodrigo Duterte
The US President Donald trump has caught the state Department by surprise, inviting the Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte to visit the United States. On Sunday, April 30, reported the newspaper the New York Times.
The White house said that the conversation between the two presidents was “very friendly”, however, according to the newspaper, the invitation of Duterte, which the West accused in the killings of drug traffickers, was a surprise to the state Department and national security Council (NSC) USA.
Now in the US administration are preparing for criticism from human rights organizations. It is also expected that the state Department and the NSC will put forward their objections to the invitation.
In the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch said that “by supporting the murderous war Duterte drug, trump becomes a moral accomplice to these crimes.”
On Saturday, April 29, the two leaders held a telephone conversation, during which, in particular, addressed the problems around North Korea.
When it is supposed to be meeting trump and Duterte in Washington, the White house has not announced, but said that trump looks forward to visiting Philippines in November as part of the two summits with other Asian countries.
The President of the Philippines is known for the sharp statements to the USA and predecessor trump, Barack Obama. In particular, he called the American leader “son of a whore” and said that “it’s time to say goodbye to the United States.” Later, however, Duterte said that Manila could not sever diplomatic ties with Washington.