Suggests Regional Ouster Plan Was Undermined : Dukakis Assails Reagan Noriega Tactics

Democratic front-runner Michael S. Dukakis, returning to the presidential campaign trail after a brief hiatus caused by his wife’s surgery, stepped up his attack Saturday on the Reagan Administration’s policies toward Panama, suggesting that Administration clumsiness had destroyed efforts by Latin American leaders to depose strongman Manuel A. Noriega.

“Three respected former presidents of Venezuela, Costa Rica and Colombia had been working hard together with Spain to arrange for Noriega’s departure,” Dukakis said.

But when the U.S. efforts against Noriega began, Administration officials “ignored” the Latin American leaders, and “their efforts to provide for Noriega’s departure did not succeed as a result,” he said.

Talks Break Off

The State Department announced two weeks ago that negotiations with Noriega, including the dismissal of drug trafficking charges against him in exchange for his departure, had collapsed.

Touring New Jersey, which along with California, Montana and New Mexico holds its Democratic primary Tuesday, Dukakis chose a series of events--such as an ethnic festival in Trenton, where he drew cheers by playing the trumpet--designed to appeal to the blue-collar traditional Democrats and suburban voters, whose support will be essential if he is to win the general election.

And with the same voters in mind, he unveiled a new version of his standard stump speech, one heavy with references to the family and family values, and the need to combat drugs and protect the environment.

In emphasizing the family theme, he was aided by Kitty Dukakis, now recovering from Friday’s surgery that removed two herniated spinal discs from her neck. His audiences were sprinkled with homemade “Get Well Kitty” signs, and repeatedly voters asked him about his wife’s health.

Describes Concern

“One of the things that happens when somebody very near and dear to you goes through what Kitty has gone through in the past days and weeks,” he repeatedly said, “is that you think even more about the things that are very precious to you.”

“The most precious,” he said, was the family.

Mrs. Dukakis walked Saturday morning for the first time since her surgery, and Dukakis said her hip, where doctors removed bone grafts to place them in her back, was “very painful” and would be that way for four or five days.

Dukakis and his advisers increasingly have been trying to put his policies into the context of family values, hoping to capture some of the themes that have proven so helpful to President Reagan in his appeals to traditional ethnic Democrats.

In discussing Panama, Dukakis returned to an issue that he has raised persistently in recent weeks, both to strengthen his own foreign policy credentials and to highlight an area where the Republicans, and Vice President George Bush in particular, appear vulnerable.

In the past, Dukakis has emphasized the Administration’s ties to Noriega, but Saturday’s remarks about the efforts of the Latin American leaders introduced a new element that is in line with Dukakis’ own emphasis on the need for the United States to cooperate with other countries in international affairs.

“It is inconceivable to me” that a successful U.S. policy can be developed without “working closely and constantly” with other nations “who share our values and goals,” he said.

The Administration had caused “great anger,” among Latin America leaders by the “failure of our government to consult with them.” he said.