Duterte, Obama shake hands and chat after rift over insult

VIENTIANE, Sept 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte shook hands and had a brief chat on Wednesday, officials said, easing a standoff after Duterte called Obama a "son of a bitch" ahead of a summit of Asian leaders in Laos. “I’m very happy that it happened.”

In a terse statement, the White House said only that “Obama had a brief discussion with President Duterte before the ASEAN Gala Dinner in the leaders’ hold space.”

“The exchange consisted of pleasantries between the two.”

Obama cancelled Tuesday’s planned meeting with Duterte on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-hosted summit after the notoriously acid-tongued Philippine president launched a barrage of insults the previous day. I can’t say how long they met,” Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, travelling with Duterte, told reporters shortly afterwards. "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," adding that such choice words were "a habit, a way of speaking for him".
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte declares a state of emergency in the whole country. In a warning to Abu Sayyaf, Duterte says "I will eat you alive."