Panama: Dealing with The General

Dealing with The General

He is reputed to have welshed on deals before. Still, the word in Washington last week was that General Manuel Antonio Noriega had reached a tentative agreement with the Reagan Administration to step down as commander of the Panama defense forces. The terms of the agreement remain fuzzy, but White House officials hinted at one major U.S. concession: Noriega might be permitted to remain in his country. "We have said we prefer him to leave Panama," said White House Spokesman Marlin Fitzwater, "but the policy issue is to leave power."

Among the unresolved details: when Noriega would resign and where he...

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