by Itunuoluwa Adebo
President Trump has invited the President of the Philippines to the White House during a phone call in which both leaders discussed North Korea.
According to a statement released by the White House, Trump and President Rodrigo Duterte had a “friendly discussion” Saturday that addressed regional security in Southeast Asia and the drug war in the Philippines’.
The statement however did not provide details on when or if Duterte would visit Washington, but said the President Trump is looking forward to his Philippines trip in November.
Trump’s invitation raised questions about whether the White House should extend a visit to a leader who has been much criticized for alleged human rights abuses, such as extra-judicial killings in Duterte’s war on drugs.
Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, in his interview on ABC’s “This Week, supported the invitation, saying that reaching out to the Philippines and other Asian nations is key to dealing with the nuclear threats by North Korea.
He argued that even though human rights mater, the North Korean problem takes precedence.
“The issues facing us developing out of North Korea are so serious that we need cooperation at some level with as many partners in the area as we can get to make sure we have our ducks in a row,” he said. “We have got to be on the same page.”
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