U.S., Panama Seen Near Deal on Noriega Departure

U.S. and Panamanian officials were reported on the verge of an agreement today that would lead to the departure from Panama of Gen. Manuel A. Noriega and the dismissal of federal drug-smuggling indictments against him.

Administration officials said both sides are preparing formal statements announcing that an agreement has been reached but they stressed that no deal can be considered final until Noriega announces it publicly.

Privately, officials said they are concerned that Noriega might renege on any pledges that he does not announce himself.

Underscoring the importance the Administration attaches to the talks, Secretary of State George P. Shultz did not accompany President Reagan on his flight to Finland this morning in order to monitor the Panama situation.

Shultz planned to fly to Finland later in the day.

An Administration official said this morning that it was his understanding that a deal had been “consummated,” but State Department spokesman Charles E. Redman said at midday that the talks are continuing.

Envoy Reports Deal

The Cable News Network said Panamanian Ambassador Juan B. Sosa, a Noriega opponent, reported that a deal had been worked out.

Presidential spokesman Marlin Fitzwater, en route to Finland with Reagan, told reporters:

“It’s still a day-to-day proposition. We could hear something at any time.”

U.S. officials, insisting on anonymity, said the talks will be suspended until after Reagan’s return to Washington early next month if no agreement is reached today--three months to the day after Panama’s crisis began.

The Administration does not want the Panama issue deflecting attention from Reagan’s visit to the Soviet Union, which starts Sunday.

After spending the weekend in Washington for consultations, State Department negotiator Michael G. Kozak returned to Panama on Monday to make a final push for an agreement. He has spent almost all of the past month in Panama negotiating with Romulo Escobar Bethancourt, a Noriega associate.

Transition Government

The proposed agreement calls for Noriega to remain outside Panama while the electoral process takes place. After Noriega’s resignation as defense chief and subsequent departure from Panama, a transition government would run Panama and turn power over to an elected civilian government next year.

The most controversial aspect of the proposed deal was the Administration’s decision to drop drug-smuggling indictments returned against Noriega by federal grand juries in Miami and Tampa, Fla.

The State Department believes that the indictments are unenforceable and that their dismissal is a small price to pay for Noriega’s departure and the start of a process toward elected civilian rule in Panama.

But critics maintain that withdrawal of the indictments would make a mockery of the Administration’s claim to have adopted a strong stand against drug smugglers. The Senate voted 86-10 last week in support of a resolution demanding that the indictments not be withdrawn.

Vice President George Bush has broken with Administration policy, calling it a mistake to negotiate with drug dealers, either American or foreign.