Noriega has upper hand

Press, 21 May 1988, Page 10

Noriega has upper hand

NZPA-Reuter Panama City The military strongman, General Manuel Antonio Noriega, firmly in control of Panama after nearly three months of American sanctions aimed at forcing him out, is in a strong position in talks with Washington while the Opposition is resigned to the fact he will not soon step down.

The former United States ally has set conditions for negotiating his

withdrawal as head of the 16,000-strong Panama Defence Forces, including the lifting of American economic sanctions and the dropping of two Florida grand jury indictments on drug trafficking charges. Although it appears the United States is ready to cede to some conditions, General Noriega, aged 50, has continued to make vague but wide-ranging demands for any deal. He has called for an

end to United States “aggression and violations of Panamanian sovereignty,” and the withdrawal of 2000 American troops brought in at a time of increasing tension between the countries.

Last week-end, amid reports that Washington had offered to lift the indictments if General Noriega left power, the General suddenly said all talks had broken down. Days later his advisers said talks were on, but there

were no negotiations. At one point General Noriega told reporters that no agreement could be reached while the United States Ambassador to Panama, Arthur Davis, was still in that position. And finally, Panama’s Commerce Minister said that even if the sanctions and the indictments are done away with, the only thing Panama had to negotiate with the United States was their future relationship.