US puzzled by Duterte comments
BEIJING — US State Department spokesman John Kirby said President Rodrigo Duterte's remarks declaring a separation from the United States are “inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship” between the two countries.
“We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from us,” Kirby said Thursday. “It's not clear to us exactly what that means and all its ramifications.”
Kirby said the top US diplomat for Asia, Daniel Russel, is traveling to Manila this weekend and would hold conversations with Filipino government officials.
Despite Duterte's increasingly sharp criticism of the United States, Kirby said the two countries' 70-year alliance hasn't yet been affected.
Duterte has told an audience of Chinese and Filipino officials and businessmen that he's announcing his "separation from the United States," a longtime ally.
The Philippine leader said Thursday: "Your honors, in this venue I announce my separation from the United States... both in military and economics also." His remarks were met with applause.
Duterte was not more specific in his latest pronouncement of plans to scale back the Philippines' engagements with the US.
But the Philippine defense secretary told senators recently that Duterte sometimes makes remarks on Philippine-US-military relations without consulting Cabinet officials.
Duterte's moves to limit engagements with visiting American troops will impede Washington's plans to expand the footprint of US forces in Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan welcomed Duterte's announced "separation" from the US and called on him to make the break formal.
In a press statement, Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. said that the president should transmit a letter to the US embassy to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and the Mutual Defense Treaty, "if indeed the president is serious."
He added that the country "should also demand indemnification from the US for the sufferings and wastes caused by its former military bases."
In a separate statement, Kabataan partylist Representative Sarah Elago welcomed the announcement, saying "it further stokes the patriotic spirit of the Filipino people."
Kabatan is part of the Bayan-affiliated Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives.
"Duterte’s strong policy pronouncements against Washington should be followed by concrete patriotic assertions. What we are talking about is the immediate pull-out of US troops in the country. What we are talking about is the scrapping of all existing lopsided treaties with Washington, including the Mutual Defense Treaty, the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement," Elago also said.