NBC Nightly News open - 1988-03-18

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:02] is Noriega on his way out of Panama and

[0:05] 800 American paratroopers make a

[0:07] dramatic arrival in Honduras.

[0:11] [music]

[0:12] >> NBC Nightly News with Tom Bro.

[0:18] Good evening. I'm Connie Chung sitting

[0:20] in for Tom Brokaw who is off tonight.

[0:23] Reliable sources tonight indicate that

[0:25] the United States and Panama's General

[0:27] Manuel Noriega are poised for talks

[0:29] aimed at the military leader departure

[0:31] from Panama. In the meantime, Noriega's

[0:34] military government this afternoon

[0:35] declared a state of urgency, giving it

[0:38] the power to suspend individual

[0:40] liberties and accused the United States

[0:42] of waging a non-declared war against it.

[0:44] Earlier, four American military police

[0:46] officers were arrested by the

[0:48] Panameanians and held for eight hours.

[0:50] NBC's John Cochran is at the State

[0:52] Department with more. John

[0:54] >> Connie, American officials say you can

[0:56] never depend on anything that Manuel

[0:57] Noriega says, but last late last night,

[1:00] a deputy assistant secretary of state,

[1:02] William Walker, flew to Panama City for

[1:05] direct talks with Noriega. Noriega

[1:08] agreed to these talks under the

[1:09] understanding that they would be talks

[1:10] about his departure. The US would not

[1:12] agree to any other kinds of talks. What

[1:14] the US hopes is that Noriega will not

[1:16] now try to stall. They hope that even

[1:19] over the weekend Noriega might agree to

[1:20] go. Where might he go? Possibly Spain.

[1:23] The Spanish government has said it would

[1:25] take Noriega. However, the United States

[1:27] has an extradition treaty with Spain.

[1:30] That means that even if Noriega went

[1:31] there under the federal indictments on

[1:33] drug trafficking, the United States

[1:35] could ask or require the Spanish

[1:37] government to send Noriega back to the

[1:38] United States. Apparently, the United

[1:40] States is willing to tell Spain, "We

[1:43] will not invoke that extradition

[1:44] treaty." And for Noriega, that means he

[1:46] would have a safe haven in Spain. But

[1:48] once again, Connie, [music] US officials

[1:51] simply don't trust Noriega. They think

[1:53] he might may try to pull a stall that he

[1:54] may try to say, "Look, let's wait 6

[1:56] months. We'll have free elections then.

[1:57] In the meantime, I'll run a caretaker

[1:59] government." The US government says, "No

[2:00] way."

[2:01] >> All right, John Cochran, thank you. Ed

[2:03] Rael is in Panama tonight. And on the

[2:05] phone with us now, Ed, what can you tell

[2:07] us?

[2:07] >> Well, Connie, apparently the economic

[2:09] crunch and dissension within Noriega's

[2:12] own military took their toll. Sources

[2:14] told me that everybody, the United

[2:16] States, the opposition, and now Noriega

[2:19] himself, agree that the general must go.

[2:22] The sources say Noriega told the United

[2:24] States he will resign and leave the

[2:26] country under the following conditions.

[2:28] The US must drop drug trafficking

[2:30] indictments against him. His departure

[2:33] must be orderly. Security for his

[2:35] friends in the military must be

[2:36] guaranteed by ensuring no change in the

[2:39] Panameanian army. and Noriega must have

[2:42] a say in determining who would control

[2:44] the government after he leaves. The

[2:46] sources describe the conditions as an

[2:48] opening bargaining position. Now, that

[2:51] position does not appear to be one the

[2:53] US can go along with entirely. And

[2:55] still, the sources here say that they

[2:57] believe a solution to how and when

[2:59] Noriega will step aside may be at hand.

[3:03] >> All right, Ed Rabel, thank you very

[3:04] much. We'll be back with more news in

[3:06] particularly the situation in Central

[3:08] America when we continue.

[3:12] Mom sure know how to make life easier.

[3:14] Mine was always there for me. Like

[3:17] another mom I know. This mom. Philips

[3:20] Milk of Magnesia. M O M. The laxative

[3:24] that helps your body work naturally for

[3:26] easy overnight relief. Would mom be

[3:28] harsh? No. And mom's even easier to take

[3:31] with this dosage. See, mom knows just

[3:34] what you need. So when you run into

[3:36] trouble,

[3:38] >> remember nobody treats you better than

[3:40] mom.

[3:42] [music]

[3:46] >> Bring your dreams to life with Pella

[3:48] wood windows and beautiful new Pella

[3:50] wood [music] doors.

[3:53] [singing]

[3:54] >> Whatever you dream of, from a [music]

[3:56] sunny sunroom to a kitchen bay, we'll

[3:59] help bring your dreams to life. Talk to

[4:02] the [music] window experts. Bring your

[4:04] home to Pella,

[4:07] the Pella Wind. [music]

[4:12] The president of Honduras tonight said

[4:14] he will send his troops to the region

[4:16] bordering Nicaragua to make sure the

[4:18] Sandinistas have withdrawn. That move

[4:21] will no doubt generate new fears from

[4:22] critics of American involvement because

[4:25] US troops would be carrying the

[4:26] Hondurans by helicopter to the border.

[4:29] Americans would be flying to the area

[4:31] where the Nicaraguan incursion

[4:32] reportedly occurred. The potential

[4:34] escalation of American involvement comes

[4:36] on a day when US paratroopers have

[4:38] already begun a show of strength

[4:40] exercises. As NBC's George Lewis

[4:42] reports,

[4:44] >> a spectacle designed to impress and

[4:46] intimidate the leftist government of

[4:48] Nicaragua. Waves of American

[4:50] paratroopers dropping out of transport

[4:52] planes over neighboring Honduras. The

[4:54] paratroopers are from the 82nd