U.S. Applause Turns to Silence as Firing of Noriega Unravels

WASHINGTON — The Reagan Administration watched events in Panama with consternation Thursday evening, first issuing a statement hailing the decision by Panama’s president to fire military strongman Manuel A. Noriega--and then lapsing into an embarrassed silence when the armed forces refused to accept the decree.

The State Department initially welcomed President Eric A. Delvalle’s dismissal of Noriega and declared optimistically that it opened the way for a return to civilian government.

“We believe an opportunity now exists for the Panamanians to deal with the political impasse which has gripped the country for the last eight months and to put the democratization process back on track,” spokeswoman Phyllis Oakley said.

But officials later withdrew the statement and said no further official reaction would be issued until it was clearer what had occurred in Panama.

“We hope Delvalle’s got his ducks in a row,” a senior official said, a touch nervously, Thursday evening before the Panama National Assembly acted to dismiss Delvalle.

The failure of Delvalle’s action is an embarrassment for the United States, which urged him to move against Noriega.

“We knew that Delvalle was going to try this, but we (didn’t) know how the officers (would) react,” the official said.

The Administration has been calling on Noriega to step back from his political control of Panama for several months, and it has been calling on him to resign since two federal grand juries in Florida indicted the general on drug-trafficking charges Feb. 5.

Oakley said the Administration would give “unqualified support for civilian, constitutional rule in Panama.”