Word: noriega
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...suburban street into a war zone. At 6:25, an officer picked up a megaphone and urged surrender. The message was directed at Colonel Roberto Diaz Herrera, Panama's former No. 2 military man and a vociferous critic of the country's de facto leader, General Manuel Antonio Noriega. Now Diaz Herrera taunted, "Tell Noriega to come and get me." An hour later police forced Diaz Herrera and a retinue of 45 guests, relatives and bodyguards from the house. All was quiet when, just a few blocks away, Noriega calmly emerged from his house...
...public accusations have lent weight to long-circulating rumors. Evidence of extortion, secret arms sales and drug trafficking remains largely circumstantial, encouraged by Noriega's three spacious houses, his art collection and his frequent holidays in France, all of which he enjoys on a military salary...
With Panama in turmoil and U.S.-Panamanian relations at their lowest ebb since the rancorous canal negotiations, the outcome is anything but certain. A Philippines-style ending, with Noriega slinking into premature retirement, seems unlikely at this point. The U.S. has far less leverage over the general than it did over Ferdinand Marcos, since Panama receives significantly less U.S. aid and its service-based economy is in relatively healthy condition, although some nervous bankers have recently withdrawn funds. Panama's opposition is largely fragmented and directionless, unlike its counterpart in South Korea...
...Noriega's continued rule troubles the Reagan Administration for two reasons. First, the White House justifies its support for the contra rebels primarily by pointing to Nicaragua's lack of democracy. Administration credibility would suffer if the U.S. appeared to be too cozy with dictators. Second, Noriega's attempts to whip up anti-American sentiment and to court countries hostile to the U.S. raise worries about the Panama Canal's future. "Can you imagine what it would be like to have the canal in the hands of a Lebanon-like country?"asks a U.S. official. Whatever pressure the U.S. decides...
General Manuel Antonio Noriega rules the Latin American country from behind the scenes as its military commander. Now some Panamanians are demanding that he make an exit. -- Six technicians go on trial in the Soviet Union to face charges that they caused the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. -- Tapes reveal a bizarre plot by Ferdinand Marcos to invade the Philippines...