Duterte Threatens UN Withdrawal in Philippine Drug War Spat
- Philippine leader says campaign against drugs will continue
- Foreign secretary Yasay clarifies, says no UN withdrawal plans
Rodrigo Duterte.
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to withdraw his country from the United Nations amid international scrutiny surrounding the deaths of hundreds of drug suspects since he was sworn into office in June.
“Maybe we’ll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations,” Duterte said in a two-hour briefing in his home base of Davao in the early hours of Sunday. “If you are this rude,” he said, Manila will leave: “Take us out of your organization. You have done nothing anyway.” At a briefing on Monday, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said the Philippines was not leaving the UN, despite its inadequacies, and that Duterte was merely expressing his disappointment with UN officials.