U.S. Instigated Bid to Oust Him, Noriega Says : Strongman’s Opponent Delvalle Still Claims Presidency of Panama as New Leader Is Sworn In

Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega accused the United States on Friday of instigating the failed effort to end his military rule and said Washington waged a campaign of “psychological warfare” against him.

Eric Arturo Delvalle, ousted by the Legislature after trying to fire Noriega, refused to accept defeat and told reporters at his home, “I am the president of Panama this morning.”

He called later Friday for a national strike to repudiate Noriega’s leadership. “I don’t have a seat of government, or military support, but I do have 2 million Panamanians who are tired . . . of living under a regime that one man has governed capriciously,” he told reporters.

Noriega held a rally of his supporters and told them Panamanians who consider “betrayal, because they are born traitors, meet a bad end here.”

Delvalle’s bid to remove Noriega as head of Panama’s 15,000-member Defense Forces was thwarted Thursday night when the military closed ranks around the general and said no officer would replace him.

In Washington, the State Department said it would still recognize Delvalle as Panama’s president instead of Manuel Solis Palma, the former education minister sworn in before dawn. Juan Sosa, Panama’s ambassador to the United States, refused Noriega’s order to resign and said he would continue to serve Delvalle.

No Plans to Intervene

President Reagan said the United States was not behind Delvalle’s attempt to get rid of Noriega but had been “very much aware of it.” He said there were no plans for military intervention.

The White House called on Noriega to resign after he was indicted this month in Miami on drug-trafficking charges.

Soldiers surrounded and closed the Chamber of Commerce building, which has been headquarters for the National Civic Crusade, the opposition alliance.

Opponents of Noriega met elsewhere to discuss a possible national strike and other actions to continue their protest against his rule.

Leader of Crusade

Police closed the offices of the Christian Democratic Party, whose president, Ricardo Arias Calderon, has been a leader of the crusade movement.

Arias Calderon and a Miami Herald reporter, Andres Oppenheimer, were detained for two hours Thursday night when they arrived on a commercial flight from Miami. Oppenheimer was released but Arias Calderon was put on a flight to Costa Rica.

Noriega did not appear in public. In an interview broadcast by the government’s Radio Nacional, he said of the United States: “They have been using a web that includes psychological warfare . . . slander, lies, injury, conjecture, and . . . misinformation.”

Asked if there was U.S. involvement in Delvalle’s attempt to oust him, Noriega said: “Totally, they have maintained a web.”

Relations Deteriorated

He said Delvalle “is in his home, with his family, without any problem.”

Relations between the Reagan Administration and Noriega have been deteriorating since June, when opposition leaders launched a campaign of strikes and protests in Panama to force the general out.

Protests began after Noriega’s former second in command, retired Col. Roberto Diaz Herrera, accused the military strongman of drug trafficking, fraud and assassinating political opponents.

The National Assembly voted early Friday to dismiss Delvalle, hours after his announcement that Noriega was fired.

New Head of State

In an emergency session boycotted by the minority supporting the president, 38 legislators of the 67-member Assembly appointed Solis Palma as new head of state.

Delvalle urged a worldwide trade embargo against Panama and said, “There is no doubt about it. There is no legal power in Panamanian laws or the constitution that allows the National Assembly” to oust a president.

Noriega issued a statement through his attorneys in Miami in which he denounced U.S. politicians who he said advocate “hysteria (and) act with a reckless disregard for the truth.”

“All American interests in the republic are and shall remain undisturbed and unharmed” he said, and declared that “these events are strictly internal to Panama.”

Part of a Plan

In Washington, Panamanian dissident Jose I. Blandon said Delvalle knew in advance that he would lose to Noriega, but Blandon said it was one step in an 18-point opposition plan designed to topple the military chief.

Sosa, the Panamanian ambassador, said a U.S. trade embargo might be necessary to depose Noriega.

State Department spokeswoman Phyllis Oakley said the U.S. government still considered Sosa to be the legal ambassador.

In later comments, Sosa said he expects Noriega to appoint a rival ambassador, but he would retain his office with the full backing of his embassy staff in Washington. He said he had not been in touch with other Panamanian envoys and did not know if others supported Delvalle.

Canal Was Normal

The National University of Panama was closed Friday but banks and stores opened for business. The Panama Canal operated normally and there were no signs of street protest.

Panama, a nation of 2.2 million people, is headquarters for U.S. military operations in Latin America. The U.S. Southern Command has 10,000 troops and 20,000 dependents in Panama.

American military personnel were on alert and civilians were told to keep a low profile.

The White House immediately offered its support after Delvalle announced his intention to oust Noriega, but Noriega and his supporters moved quickly against Delvalle.

The National Assembly removed both Delvalle and Vice President Roderick Esquivel from office. The assembly said Delvalle violated the law in firing Noriega.

U.S. indictments accuse Noriega of using his authority to let Colombian drug traffickers use Panama as a base for smuggling cocaine and marijuana into the United States. The charges said Noriega received kickbacks from drug profits.