Bush Urges Coup to Topple Noriega : Calls on Panama People, Military to Rise Up; Says U.S. Help Not Needed

President Bush, in an undisguised call for a coup d’etat in Panama, said Saturday that the Panama Defense Forces and the Panamanian people should rise up and overthrow military strongman Manuel A. Noriega, apparently by any means possible.

“They ought to just do everything they can to get Mr. Noriega out of there,” Bush said.

He added later that the Defense Forces--Panama’s sole military and police organization--would not need support from the United States to oust its leader. “He’s one man, and they have a well-trained force,” Bush said.

Asked whether he would temper his remarks, which a reporter said could be read as an inflammatory call for revolt, Bush said: “I would add no words of caution. The will of the people should be implemented.”

Reference to Vote

He was referring to the Panamanian public’s repudiation of Noriega in last Sunday’s presidential election, which, according to every credible local and international reckoning, was decisively won by the opposition in the face of blatant fraud aimed at delivering victory to Noriega’s handpicked slate.

When Panama’s current authorities, all of them beholden to Noriega, were unable to quiet the outcry triggered by the fraud, and after all three members of the opposition presidential ticket were physically assaulted and injured by Noriega henchmen, local authorities annulled the election.

Bush gave a clear signal Saturday that the United States might not try to prosecute Noriega on U.S. drug-trafficking charges pending against him if he leaves Panama for exile in a nation that bars extradition to the United States. Asked about such a possibility, Bush said: “That could well be an answer. That could be a solution. He ought to think about that.”

But the President indicated that if Noriega went to a country having an extradition treaty with this country, the United States would seek his return to face charges that were brought early last year by two grand juries in Florida.

Asked which he preferred, Bush said: “Whatever . . . it takes to get him out of there right now.”

On Thursday, Bush specifically said he would not allow the indictments to be dropped, a measure he said would have “profound implications for our fight against narcotics.” He was not asked Saturday whether he would still object to dropping the charges.

Without elaboration, he said he has “no doubt” that there are countries that would accept Noriega.

One of them is apparently Venezuela, whose president, Carlos Andres Perez, has indicated that Noriega could be given asylum there. Spain has also been mentioned as a possible exile home.

A senior Administration official said that two or three countries are trying to attract Noriega. But the official said the United States has no information to indicate that Noriega is ready to accept those offers.

Bush made his remarks in a 20-minute interview with reporters as he flew aboard Air Force One from Jackson to Columbus, Miss., on a day in which he gave commencement addresses at Alcorn State University in Lorman and at Mississippi State University in Starkville.

The President, with frustration and anger in his voice, approached reporters specifically to discuss the situation in Panama.

Asked whether he wants the Panama Defense Forces to remove their commanding general, Bush said: “I would love to see them get him out. We’d like to see him out of there--not just the PDF, the will of the people of Panama.

“The will of the people should not be thwarted by this man and a handful of these . . . thugs”--an angry reference to the so-called Battalions of Dignity, pro-Noriega forces who have staged attacks on the political opposition in Panama.

However, there has been no sign, according to White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater, that Noriega’s support among key elements of the Defense Forces has slipped during the political upheaval that has gripped Panama in the wake of the elections.

The President’s comments represented his harshest language yet in response to the disrupted presidential election. Numerous independent observers, as well as the Roman Catholic Church, have said that the opposition presidential candidate, Guillermo Endara, won by as much as a 3-to-1 margin.

Troops Ordered to Panama

After last week’s violence, Bush on Thursday ordered nearly 1,900 additional troops to Panama to reinforce the more than 10,000 U.S. service people who are regularly deployed in bases along the Panama Canal to guard the waterway under the Panama Canal treaties. The President’s aides emphasized that the move was intended solely to protect Americans in Panama and to help guard the canal and was not part of any effort to overthrow Noriega.

A covert plan last year was developed to encourage the overthrow of Noriega, but it was reportedly abandoned.

The President said he would not stand in the way of Noriega’s leaving Panama and going to a country that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States--a step that would make it unlikely that he would be forced to face charges in this country.

“I care that he does whatever it is that it takes to get him out of there right now,” Bush said.

Bush repeated his offer that full U.S.-Panamanian relationships and “good relations with the Panama Defense Forces” would be immediately restored upon Noriega’s departure.

Among the steps Bush announced Thursday was the recall of the American ambassador to Panama, although diplomatic relations have not been cut.

Speaking with reporters Saturday, Bush said that the Panama Defense Forces has “a useful role to play, and they will.”

“The problem is Noriega, and if Noriega were to leave, we’d have good relations with the Panamanian people and the PDF,” he said. “I want to make sure the people of Panama understand that relations can quickly return to normal.”

Asked if the people should rise up in a revolution, Bush replied: “The people did rise up in this democratic election.”

Asked whether he is contemplating sending more troops, he said: “I have no short-run plans. But that doesn’t preclude anything I’ll do in the future.”

The President acknowledged concern “about any escalation of violence that would endanger American lives.” But, he said, “I think we’re in a good position to protect our American lives and interests.”