Word: laboa
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1990
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Laboa then stepped up the pressure. He told Noriega, quietly but forcefully, that no country would give him refuge. (That was not entirely accurate; Cuba might have been willing, but Washington had told the Vatican that sending him there would be unacceptable.) The monsignor pointed out that the troops surrounding the embassy made an escape from the building impossible. Noriega was told he had only two choices: to walk out and surrender to the Americans or to let Laboa arrange for him to be delivered to the new Panamanian government. Asked Noriega: Did it really matter...
...after discussing the matter with his four fellow refugees. With him were Lieut. Colonel Nivaldo Madrinan, head of Panama's secret police; Captain Eliecer Gaitan, who led the special force charged with protecting Noriega; Belgica de Castillo, the former head of the immigration department, and her husband Carlos Castillo. Laboa at first saw the foursome as an obstacle in his psychostruggle with the general. Later he concluded that they too were pressing him to give up. As an insurance policy, the nuncio sent a written request to Major General Marc Cisneros, deputy head of the U.S. Southern Command, that American...
...never came to that. On Jan. 2 Noriega learned of a suggestion by Vice President Ricardo Arias Calderon that the Vatican embassy staff might temporarily leave the building, set up shop in a Roman Catholic high school across the avenue, and leave Noriega on his own. The general asked Laboa if the proposal was real. Yes, he was assured, it was. Was there a way for him to escape arrest through some diplomatic arrangement? Noriega asked. Laboa shook his head...
Shortly after a U.S.-suggested visit from Vicky Amado, the general's 35- year-old mistress, Noriega told Laboa he would leave the embassy and give himself up to American forces. He asked permission to telephone his wife, who had sought refuge in the Cuban embassy with their three daughters and who, the U.S. had told Laboa, would be allowed to fly to exile in the Dominican Republic. Proud to the end, Noriega wanted to wear his general's uniform and surrender only to a general officer. Laboa, who had outwitted his adversary, said that would be fine...
Finally, at 8:50 p.m., accompanied by Laboa, Noriega walked out through the nunciature's front door. He stumbled twice in the darkness, but pulled himself together as he surrendered to General Cisneros. He was hustled to a Black Hawk helicopter waiting nearby and flown to Howard Air Force Base, where he was ushered into a C-130 Air Force transport and formally arrested by officials of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. After the plane left Panama for Florida, the once feared strongman broke into tears...