Obama meets Philippine leader despite 'whore' insult
US President Barack Obama has confirmed he met Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte for the first time, despite being called "a son of a whore".
The White House initially called Mr Duterte's comments "vulgar", but speaking to reporters at the conclusion of his visit to the ASEAN Summit in Laos on Thursday, Obama said he didn't take his remark personally.
He said: "I don't take these comments personally because it seems as if this is a phrase he's used repeatedly including directed at the Pope and others, and so I think it seems to be just a habit - a way of speaking for him.
"I did shake hands with president Dutorte last night, it was not a long interaction and what I indicated to him was that my team should be meeting with his and determine how we can move forward on a whole range of issues."
Earlier this week Duterte said it would be "rude" for the president to discuss human rights abuses at the meeting, with Obama telling reporters their partnership was more concerned with suppressing the country's battle on drugs.
"We want to partner with the Philippines on the particular issue of narco-traffickers, which is a serious problem.
"On that narrow issue we do want to make sure the partnership we have is consistent with international norms and rule of law", he added.