MANILA Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has allowed talks about loans and grants from countries that backed a U.N. investigation into his bloody war on drugs to resume, his office said on Wednesday. <\/p>\n
A document dated Feb. 27 addressed to all agencies and state-owned firms signed by Duterte's Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said the suspension on loan and grant negotiations was being lifted.<\/p>\n
The document did not provide an explanation nor did Medialdea immediately respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n
The U.N. Human Rights Council approved a resolution in July backed by 18 countries to compile a report on Duterte's drugs crackdown, launched after he was elected in 2016 on a platform of crushing crime.<\/p>\n
The government says at least 5,600 people have been killed in what police say were shootouts with dealers resisting arrest while activists say the toll is far higher.<\/p>\n
Duterte ordered a halt on loans from the 18 countries on Aug. 27, \"pending the assessment of our relations with these countries\".<\/p>\n
It was not clear which loans were involved, nor their size, though the government said then that none covered infrastructure projects so the suspension would not have a significant impact on the economy. It also said loans already being implemented would not be affected.<\/p>\n
Countries on the 47-member human rights council that voted in favor of the investigation resolution include Australia, Denmark, Iceland, Spain, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
Duterte has more than once taken a stand against the international community over perceived criticism of his anti-narcotics campaign.<\/p>\n
He once threatened to pull the Philippines out of the United Nations and he unilaterally withdrew the country from the International Criminal Court after it said it was conducting a preliminary examination into alleged crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by David Clarke)<\/p>\n
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Philippines' Duterte Resumes Loan Talks With Backers of U.N. Drugs War Investigation - The New York Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MANILA Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has allowed talks about loans and grants from countries that backed a U.N. Continue reading