Duterte says he told Obama he never insulted him, thinks U.N.'s Ban a fool

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte attends the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos September 7, 2016. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told Barack Obama he never called him a "son of a b****", he said on Friday, but he maintained a defiant stance on his war on drugs, saying U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon was a fool for bringing up human rights.

U.S. President Obama cancelled a planned meeting with Duterte at this week's ASEAN summit in Laos after the Philippine leader's alleged insult in his native Tagalog, but the two met briefly later as they waited to take their seats at a banquet.