Washington – US President Donald Trump invited Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to Washington during a “very friendly” phone call on Saturday, the White House said.
The two leaders also discussed regional security “including the threat of North Korea,” the White House said in a statement.
Prior to the call, Duterte said he planned to urge Trump to “not play into (the) hands” of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
They also discussed “the fact that the Philippine government is fighting very hard to rid its country of drugs, a scourge that affects many countries throughout the world,” the statement said.
Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs has come under fire from the US and other countries, international human rights groups and local observers for allegedly violating due process.
Since he became president in June 2016, thousands of drug suspects have been killed in police operations, while many more were victims of extra-judicial killings.
The leaders are already scheduled to meet in the Philippines in November when Trump will participate in the East Asia Summit and the US-ASEAN summit.
-dpa
