Squabble Over Noriega’s Fate Doomed Coup

The attempted coup against Panamanian dictator Manuel A. Noriega collapsed as plotters argued over whether he should be turned over to the United States, fleeing Panamanian military officers have told U.S. officials.

More than three hours into the coup, with rebels in control of the military headquarters and Noriega trapped inside, some rebels argued that he should be delivered for extradition while others insisted on allowing him to remain in Panama. During the confusion Noriega was able to summon help, according to the refugee officers, some of whom have now reached Miami and have been questioned by U.S. officials.

At least 42 Panamanians have been airlifted by the U.S. government to Miami, the State Department confirmed. They are being “debriefed on the spot,” State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler said.

Among the refugees is Capt. Javier Licona, who has told U.S. intelligence officials that he tried to persuade fellow rebels to turn Noriega over to the United States, Pentagon officials confirmed.

Licona, however, lost out to Maj. Moises Giroldi Vega, the senior officer involved in the coup, who argued that Noriega should be allowed to retire “with dignity” inside Panama. Giroldi’s widow is also believed to be among the refugees now in Miami.

The account of the debate within the rebel camp over what to do with Noriega sheds considerable light on one of the most puzzling aspects of the coup--how, if the rebels had control over Noriega for hours, did they allow him to get away?

In addition, the account illustrates the difficulty that U.S. officials have had in piecing together a full account of what happened during the coup. Licona, after losing the debate, went to Ft. Clayton, the headquarters of the U.S. Southern Command. There he met with a senior U.S. military official, Maj. Gen. Marc Cisneros. At no time during that meeting did he mention the internal debate splitting the rebel camp, Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams said Tuesday.

Licona “gave absolutely no hint of the debate” over what to do with Noriega until U.S. officials began debriefing him in the last few days, Williams said. During the meeting Licona said that the rebels would not turn Noriega over to the United States, Williams said.

“This coup was not well planned,” he added. “There was confusion among the plotters about what was going on, disagreement about what they should do.”

At the State Department, Tutwiler confirmed that Licona and the other Panamanians entered this country over the weekend. They have not yet formally been granted refugee status but all members of the group have met the chief test for being declared refugees, she said. They “had reason to believe the Noriega regime would seek them out for persecution, either because of alleged involvement in the Oct. 3 coup attempt or because of their family connection with coup plotters.”

The fear of persecution seems well founded. A source close to the Panamanian military has confirmed that 10 rebels were executed in addition to Giroldi, who was killed, perhaps by Noriega himself, when the coup ended. Independent sources who viewed at least five of the bodies confirmed that they had head wounds. A relative of one of the men, Capt. Leon Tejada, said that the captain had been shot in the head.

In Panama, relatives buried Capt. Nicasio Lorenzo, one of the rebels detained after the coup attempt. According to his death certificate, Lorenzo died of asphyxiation. His wife denied rumors, apparently spread by government officials, that he had hanged himself while in custody.

Lorenzo was the second in command to Panama Defense Force chief of intelligence Guillermo Wong, another officer under detention.

According to the military source, the coup was provoked in part by a battle for succession after Noriega steps down. The source said that Noriega appeared to favor Lt. Col. Nivaldo Madrinan of the National Intelligence Directorate to succeed him. Junior officers allegedly objected to Madrinan because he is seen as a policeman, rather than a member of the Panama Defense Forces. The source said that the rebels shot and wounded Madrinan at the beginning of the uprising.

The source also charged that Wong had knowledge early this year, perhaps as long as eight months ago, that some of the junior officers were planning a coup. Wong allegedly disciplined a young officer who attempted to reveal the plot.

Administration officials refused to provide details on the names or locations of the Panamanians flown to Miami, citing safety concerns. Sources in the Panamanian exile community said that many members of the group were still being debriefed by federal officials Tuesday.

Meanwhile, White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater conceded Tuesday that the White House provided inaccurate information in the aftermath of the coup. The information tended to discount U.S. military movements during the coup and U.S. involvement in the attempt to overthrow Noriega. Fitzwater insisted that the White House was not deliberately trying to mislead the public, just answering questions without full information.

The Administration now concedes that on Sunday, Oct. 1, Giroldi told American officials that before he launched his coup he wanted assurances that the United States would deploy troops to block two key routes that, he thought, pro-Noriega troops might use. On Monday, the day before the coup, President Bush authorized that action, and on Tuesday it was carried out, although Noriega’s forces, in the end, simply used a different route.

But as late as Wednesday, the day after the coup, Fitzwater told reporters, “we were not involved in the planning of this or discussion of this or the execution.” Asked about the troop movements, he said, “our troops were not relevant to the coup in any way.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything, maybe I shouldn’t have told you anything,” Fitzwater said when asked about the discrepancy.

Administration officials are still trying to sort out exactly what happened last week, Fitzwater added.

Times staff writers Marjorie Miller, in Panama City, and Norman Kempster, in Washington, contributed to this story.

BACKGROUND

At least 11 rebel officers, including Maj. Moises Giroldi Vega, the alleged ringleader, were killed in the Oct. 3 coup attempt. In addition, 47 Panamanian officers and 173 enlisted men have been jailed for taking part in the coup, according to figures collected by Ambler Moss, a former U.S. ambassador to Panama.