Noriega’s Exiled Enemies Plan a ‘Knockout Punch’

Beginning next week, exiled opponents of Panamanian strongman Manuel A. Noriega will mount a series of economic, political and military actions designed to deal a fatal blow to the Noriega regime, a leading opposition figure said Monday.

The announcement of the moves, which are to include unspecified armed actions coordinated by a newly formed, Washington-based military command, came as the Reagan Administration considered softening its position demanding Noriega’s immediate departure from Panama.

Juan B. Sosa, Washington envoy of the ousted government of Eric A. Delvalle, declared that economic sanctions imposed by the United States against Panama have been “very successful” and said the measures were never expected to do more than loosen Noriega’s grip on power.

The opposition’s new strategy, he added, is designed to finish the job.

‘Knockout Punch’ Sought

“We look at this as a championship fight in which we won the first seven rounds but didn’t knock him out,” Sosa said in a press conference. “For the last week, we have been recouping our strength, reassessing our strategy and getting ready for a quick knockout punch.”

The military command announced by Sosa is to be headed by Maj. Augusto Villalaz, one of the leaders of an unsuccessful coup attempt against Noriega on March 16.

Sosa declined to say what military actions the group might undertake but said the unit is made up of “knowledgeable officers with friends in the Panama Defense Forces who have institutional knowledge of the military and its weaknesses.”

“They’re very confident the military actions will have the help and support of people within the PDF,” Sosa added. “The knowledge of the PDF is deeper than we’ve ever had before.”

U.S. officials and opposition leaders said that no possible operations against Noriega, who commands the 15,000-member Panama Defense Forces, are being coordinated with the U.S. government. But the Reagan Administration welcomed the actions, one State Department official said.

“It sounds good to us, but we don’t know the first thing about it,” said the official, who echoed Sosa in characterizing the plan as “a Panamanian solution to the (Noriega) problem.”

The United States continues to recognize Delvalle, who was removed as president by Noriega in late February, as Panama’s legitimate chief of state and Sosa as the nation’s ambassador to this country.

After nearly four weeks of stiff economic sanctions that have failed to force Noriega from office, the United States now is more willing to relax some of its conditions for the general’s departure, U.S. officials said.

On April 16, a senior State Department official, Michael G. Kozak, was sent to Panama to meet with Noriega in what some U.S. officials believed was an effort to negotiate terms for his departure. The United States has insisted that he resign and move to a new home far from Panama. Noriega has indicated some willingness to retire as head of the Panama Defense Forces but not to leave the country.

Sosa said the opposition believes that, through its new campaign, Noriega can be forced to quit.

As a measure of discontent within the Panama Defense Forces, Sosa said that roughly half of the forces’ officers knew in advance about last month’s coup attempt against Noriega by one of their fellow officers. Since then, he said, Noriega has lost confidence in his senior officers and the defense forces have fallen into disarray, leaving gaps that can be exploited.

In addition to military actions, Sosa declared that the group would employ measures to block the flow of foreign money into Panama.

Exiled opponents already have succeeded in blocking planned cash payments to Noriega from Brazil, Uruguay, France and Japan and will try to head off others they have identified, Sosa added.

While the coordinated actions take place, Sosa said that Delvalle will remain in hiding in Panama.

“Delvalle will come out in public as soon as the situation allows it,” he said. “We cannot take the risk of having Delvalle arrested.”