Bid to Oust Noriega Falters as Loyalists Battle Rebels : Strongman in Control, Radio Says

Troops loyal to Panamanian strongman Gen. Manuel A. Noriega fought heavy gun battles with forces trying to overthrow him in Panama City today, and the outcome of the bloody struggle was not clear.

But a communique read over national radio in the afternoon denounced the coup attempt and said the controversial Noriega was still in control.

The rebel officers had gone on national radio in the morning and announced the ouster and retirement of Noriega and his general staff.

But the transmission was broken off, and at midday the national radio went back on the air playing military music and said Noriega was still in control.

“The general is in his post,” the announcement said, without saying where that was.

There were no firm details on casualties during the violence, but residents said they had seen ambulances leaving the scene where fighting took place.

‘Whole Lot’ of Firing

The United States has been trying for two years to oust Noriega, who is under indictment on drug charges in the United States and has been accused of human rights abuses and electoral fraud.

A U.S. military spokeswoman for the U.S. Southern Command in Panama, whose headquarters are about 800 yards from Noriega’s headquarters, said in the early afternoon that a “whole lot” of firing was going on.

The U.S. spokeswoman, Mercedes Morris, told Reuters that she could hear automatic weapons and grenade launchers.

“I just heard a tremendous rat-a-tat-tat,” she said. “There is firing from both sides and there is smoke everywhere,” she said.

A Reuters reporter about 600 yards away from the headquarters said firing stopped at 2 p.m. (noon PDT).

In the morning a mid-level officer read a communique over state radio saying Noriega and his staff had been retired. The broadcast urged other troops to join them and spoke of holding new elections.

U.S. Not Involved--Bush

In Washington President Bush said the United States was not involved in efforts to topple Noriega.

“There are rumors around that this was some American operation. I can tell you that is not true,” Bush told reporters at the start of a meeting with visiting Soviet Defense Minister Dmitri T. Yazov.

Secretary of State James A. Baker III told reporters that the United States did not initiate the insurrection but refused to say if Washington had given encouragement, intelligence or other help to the military commanders said to be behind the action.

Witnesses around the headquarters told a Reuters reporter that the coup bid began this morning with the arrival of four cars which entered the headquarters grounds about 8 a.m. local time.

Shooting started breaking out shortly thereafter, and then the rebel communique was issued.

At 10 a.m. a Reuters photographer saw several trucks loaded with heavily armed troops of the 2000th Battalion, Noriega’s elite combat battalion, arriving at the headquarters. The troops jumped from the trucks, firing their weapons into the air as they ran, and circled the walled compound.