PHILIPPINES MOVES TO QUIT INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday he was pulling the Philippines out of the treaty underpinning the International Criminal Court -

Which is examining his deadly drug war.

''I therefore declare and forthwith give notice  that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification   of the Rome Statue   effective immediately,'' Duterte said in a statement.

The Hague-based ICC announced last month it was launching a ''preliminary examination'' of Dutert's bloody anti-drug crackdown that has drawn international concern.

Police they have killed nearly 4,000 drug suspects as part of the campaign, while rights group claim the toll is around three times the number given by authorities.

The outspoken Philippine leader, who is accused of stoking the killings with inflammatory statements, has taken issue over the Philippines becoming the first southeast Asian nation put under a preliminary examination by the ICC prosecutor.

Opened in 2002, the ICC is the world's only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling.

''The attacks allegedly committed by me are neither genocide nor war crimes. The deaths occurring in the process of legitimate police operations, lacked the intent to kill,'' President Duterte said.

[Agencies]