Obama says he doesn't take Duterte's comments personally

U.S. President Barack Obama arrives to attend the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos September 8, 2016. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

VIENTIANE (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday he had indicated to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that their teams should meet and that he did not take earlier comments from Duterte personally. Obama said the partnership between the two countries should be consistent with the rule of law and international norms. Duterte this week called Obama a "son of a bitch" and said he would not be lectured over extrajudicial killings in the Philippines' drug war. (Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Robert Birsel)