NBC Nightly News open - 1988-03-21

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] At six,

[0:02] a general strike all but shuts down

[0:04] Panama and there are fresh reports on

[0:05] Noriega's resignation. The Contras and

[0:08] the Sandinistas meet while American

[0:10] troops stay in sight right next door.

[0:15] >> NBC Nightly News with Tom Bro.

[0:20] Good evening. Panama's General Manuel

[0:22] Noriega remains in power tonight, but

[0:24] for how long? Opposition groups

[0:26] determined to drive him from Panama

[0:28] organized a successful national strike

[0:30] today. And now, as NBC's Ed Rabel

[0:33] reports, Noriega's resignation could be

[0:35] announced shortly.

[0:38] Shopkeepers locked the shutters down,

[0:40] bringing Panama City close to paralysis

[0:42] despite a government order for soldiers

[0:44] to keep businesses going.

[0:47] Yet all of this, today's strike, the

[0:49] attempted coup, the US economic squeeze,

[0:52] all may be overshadowed by Noriega's

[0:54] next move. NBC News has learned that

[0:57] General Noriega intends to retire as

[0:59] commander-in-chief of the military,

[1:01] removing himself as a target of US

[1:03] pressure. Under Panameanian law, the

[1:05] United States cannot extradite Noriega

[1:07] from Panama on the indictments it has

[1:09] against him, even if he steps aside.

[1:11] That's because by treaty, Panameanian

[1:13] citizens are protected from extradition

[1:15] from their own country.

[1:19] Noriega's handpicked president, Manuel

[1:21] Solis Palma, is expected to make the

[1:22] announcement of Noriega's planned

[1:24] retirement tonight on nationwide TV. At

[1:27] the same time, it is anticipated that

[1:29] Solis Palma will call for restoration of

[1:31] a democratic government here.

[1:34] >> Will be forced to leave. But the new

[1:36] government would exclude Eric Delva, the

[1:38] man the US still recognizes as president

[1:40] of Panama, the man who went into hiding

[1:43] here after he tried to fire Noriega

[1:45] about a month ago. Noriega hopes that by

[1:48] eliminating himself as the center of

[1:49] attention, he will be able to control

[1:51] behind the scenes events in Panama and

[1:54] guarantee that his friends in the

[1:55] military will not be ousted from power.

[1:58] More than anything, however, Noriega

[2:00] believes he will have thwarted the US

[2:02] government moves against him and his

[2:04] people.

[2:06] But just stepping down will not be

[2:08] enough for the US or his opponents. His

[2:11] plan did catch his opponents completely

[2:13] by surprise.

[2:14] >> In the last minute, he is going to

[2:16] resort to a desperate measures and he

[2:19] might uh uh be just uh building up his

[2:23] strength and and being tough because he

[2:25] wants to be in a more powerful position

[2:27] to negotiate. Noryga believes he can

[2:30] hold on to power and go gracefully into

[2:32] retirement with full honors sometime

[2:33] next month. Maybe news of his plan is

[2:36] not yet out in Panama, and there's no

[2:38] telling how all of the people who oppose

[2:40] him here may react. Ed Rel, NBC News,

[2:43] Panama. As you might expect, US

[2:45] officials are monitoring these

[2:47] developments carefully. And NBC's chief

[2:49] diplomatic correspondent John Cochran is

[2:52] at the State Department tonight. John,

[2:53] do the United States officials believe

[2:55] that Norie is about to resign? And if he

[2:57] does, must he leave Panama?

[3:00] >> They will believe it when they see it,

[3:02] Tom. According to American officials,

[3:04] the only deal acceptable to them is for

[3:06] Noriega to bring back Eric Delvalier,

[3:08] who, as Ed mentioned, is still in

[3:09] hiding. Anyone else, anyone handpicked

[3:11] by Noriega is unacceptable, which would

[3:13] mean that American sanctions would

[3:14] continue. American officials say their

[3:17] goal is not to force Noriega out of his

[3:19] general's uniform, but to force him out

[3:20] of his country. Now, what would happen

[3:22] if Noriega said, "Okay, let me stay in

[3:25] Panama, but I'll let Delvalier run the

[3:26] country as president." American

[3:28] officials say, "No deal." Because as one

[3:29] of them told me, "I just don't trust

[3:31] Tony Nora." Tom,

[3:34] >> Senator Luger was saying today, John,

[3:35] that Noriega is in good shape in his

[3:37] country because he's got all the guns

[3:39] and most of the money. Is that an

[3:41] assessment shared at the State

[3:42] Department?

[3:42] >> Well, even Senator Luger thinks that

[3:44] eventually Noriega has to go. But he's

[3:46] sure right when he says Noriega has

[3:47] money. He has millions stashed away

[3:49] abroad. As far as the guns are

[3:51] concerned, right here in this room in

[3:52] the State Department briefing room

[3:53] earlier today, a State Department

[3:55] spokesman sort of made a plea to the

[3:57] Panameanian military not to support

[3:59] Noriega. Those are the guns that Lugar

[4:01] is talking about. American officials

[4:03] want the Panameanian military to finally

[4:05] give up on Noriega because US officials

[4:08] believe that it will not only take

[4:09] civilian discontent but military

[4:10] discontent to get rid of Noriega.

[4:13] >> Thank you very much, John Cochran at the

[4:14] State Department tonight. At the same

[4:16] time, Pentagon officials said today that

[4:18] the United States is beefing up its

[4:19] military presence in the canal zone.

[4:22] Another 300 troops have been sent in.

[4:24] Twothirds of the reinforcements are

[4:25] military police. The addition of these

[4:27] troops was described as a prudent

[4:29] measure in light of the unrest in

[4:31] Panama. Just ahead, the Contras and the

[4:33] Saninistas.