News Digest {fears*
First of 1,300 troops land in Panama
PANAMA CITY, Panama —The
first of an extra 1,300 U.S. troops
arrived Tuesday to increase security
for American soldiers and citizens
during Panama’s political and eco
nomic crisis.
A C-141 Starlifter carrying the
first contingent of soldiers from Fort
Bragg, N.C. landed at 4:30 p.m. CDT
at Howard Air Force Base outside
Panama City. Nearly 50 flights are
expected by the time the deployment
is finished Friday.
Reinforcements and a squadron of
26 helicopters are intended by the
Reagan administration as a signal to
Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega, the de
facto ruler Washington has been urg
ing to step down. The buildup, or
dered last week to counter what the
Pentagon called Noriega’s “heavy
handed tactics,” will raise U.S. troop
strength along the Panama Canal to
11,800 officers and men. Noriega
commands the 15,000 member De
fense Forces.
The reinforcements were sent after
reports that U.S. citizens were har
assed by Panamanian soldiers in the
brief arrest of several Amciican re
porters during the police raid on
opposition headquarters in the Pan
ama City hotel.
Panama has reportedly accused
the Reagan administration of prepar
ing to invade.
The first flight was from Pope Air
Force Base, N.C. Officials said they
expected at least one heavy cargo
plane each hour from Pope and Travis
Air Force Base, Calif.
A statement from the office of
Panama’s Roman Catholic Arch
bishop, Marcos Gregorio McGrath,
said the government told him it would
hold discussions with the opposition,
mediated by McGrath.
McGrath was asked to mediate by
President Oscar Arias of Coasta Rica,
Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez of
Spain and former president Daniel
Oduber of Coasta Rica and Carlos
Andres Perez of Venezuela.
The civilian government, which
Noriega controls, has accused
McGrath of siding with the opposi
tion. State-run newspapers have
called the archbishop, who was born
in Philadelphia, a “tool of the Yan
kees.”
m. ^ A
Dukakis gains momentum with win
MILWAUKEE — Michael
Dukakis won the Wisconsin primary
Tuesday night slowing Jesse
Jackson’s momentum in the Demo
cratic presidential race and reaching
for control in their struggle for the
party’s 1988 nomination.
The Massachusetts governor also
celebrated a narrow victory in Colo
rado caucuses marked by a slow and
controversial count, and added to his
slender lead in the competition for
delegates to the Democratic National
Convention.
Sen. Albert Gore Jr. ran a distant
third in Wisconsin despite a costly
effort for a breakthrough outside his
native South. Illinois Senator Paul
Simon was fourth, and seemed likely
to suspend active campaigning later
in the week.
Dukakis was campaigning in New
York City as the Wisconsin returns
were counted, hoping his victory
would provide a boost when the
nominating wars head into New York
and Pennsylvania later this month.
Jackson, campaigning in Arizona
said: “I feel good. After 40 contests
I’ve come in number one or number
two in three of them. I’m proud of
that.” He said that after two months of
primaries and caucuses, “I’m leading
by 300,000 votes” in the overall tabu
lations.
Jackson campaigned hard in Wis
consin as a follow-up on his Michigan
caucus victory late last month. He
was on the cover of Time and
Newsweek and drew large enthusias
tic crowds in the state where whites
make up more than 95 percent of the
electorate.
NBC said its polling information
shows he was gaining less than 25
percent of the white vote, an improve
ment over 1984.
Vice President George Bush won
an overwhelming Wisconsin victory
over former television evangelist Pat
Robertson in the Republican race. He
won handily in Colorado, as well, as
he continued his grand march to
nomination at the Republican con
vention this summer.
Returns from 40 percent of the
precinct showed Dukakis gaining 47
percent of the vote, to 31 percent for
Jackson. Gore trailed with 16percent,
while Simon had 5 percent
Bush was winning 85 percent of
the vote, to 7 percent for Robertson
and campaign drop out Sen. Bob
Dole.
Dukakis campaigned hard in
search of a victory to silence the crit
ics who said defeats last month in
Illinois and Michigan called him to
question his ability to attract the blue
collar vote a Democrat needs to win
the White House in the fall elections.
Jackson aimed for a win in a state
where only 4 percent of the voters
were Black, reckoning that it would
give him dramatic new stature.
Shultz: Palestinian state ‘makes no sense’
JERUSALEM — Secretary of State George P. Shultz discussed the
U S. peace plan with two Arab leaders at length Tuesday and said the
going is very tough.”
Meeting with reporters on the night back to Jerusalem, he reported
no “convergence” with Israel on Mideast negotiations during talks with
King Hussein of Jordan in Amman and President Hafez Assad of Syria
in Damascus. . . ..
Shultz said he brought with him questions from Hussein to present
on Wednesday to Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and Foreign Minister
Shimon Peres. . ... .. , A
Hussein’s approval of the plan is considered essential. A senior
Israeli defense official said Monday that Israel might be nudged into
acting on the plan if Hussein accepts it in principle.
Among points at issue is how negotiations on Palestinian self-rule, [
which Shultz hopes will begin May 1, would link with talks on a final
settlement.
Smuggler says he turned down Panamanian oiler \
WASHINGTON — A convicted marijuana smuggler told Congress
Tuesday of an offer eight years ago by then-Panamanian ruler Omar
Torrijos and an aide— Manuel Antonio Noriega — to use an island off
Panama for drug shipments.
But the smuggler, Michael P. Vogel, said he and an associate rejected
the offer because the two Panamanian leaders “were being extremely, j
extremely creedy.”
Vogel said he traveled to Panama in late 1979 or early 1980 with a j
Cuban associate who was interested in establishing a shipment base for
drugs. They met with Torrijos and Noriega, who now is Panama’s
military ruler and underU.S. indictmcnton drug charges, for about three
hours, he testified.
“They wanted V amount of dollars for each pound of marijuana,
or about $ 100,000 per trip, Vogel said, an amount out of proportion for
the small shipments he had planned.
FA A investigating parachuting accident
RALEIGH, N .C.—An expert parachutist apparently fell to his death |
when he jumped from a plane without realizing that he wasn’t wearing
a parachute, officials say.
Ivan Lester McGucre, 35, of Durham, was carrying video equipment
to film a student and an instructor from the Franklin County Sports
Parachute Center when he jumped to his death.
Investigators have ruled out suicide and say McGuere, who had made |
more than 800jumps, may have made his fatal mistake because he was
tired or preoccupied with filming.
“We haven’t gotten all the facts yet,” said FAA inspector Waller L.
Rigsbee.
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Hijackers still holding jet
NICOSIA,Cyprus—Arab hijack
ers Tuesday forced a Kuwait Airways
jumbo jet to land in northeastern Iran,
threatened to blow it up and de
manded that Kuwait release 17 pro
Iranian prisoners. They later released
24 of the 112 passengers.
Iran’s official Islamic republic
News Agency said without elabora
tion that the 24 women were released
early Wednesday after negotiations
with Iran’s deputy prime minister, Ali
Reza Moayyeri.
Among the other passengers were
three members of Kuwait’s royal
family and a passenger with a U.S.
passport, on a flight from Bangkok,
Thailand, to Kuwait. The gunmen
warned the Kuwaiti royals would be
“in imminent danger” if Kuwa t re
fused to free the prisoners, IRNA
reported.
The hijackers, brandishing pistols
and hand grenades, identified them
selves only as Arabs. But their de
mands echoed those of Iranian
backed Shiite Moslems holding
American hostages in Lebanon.
The Kuwaiti government rejected
the hijackers’ demand to release 17
prisoners, calling it “blackmail,” but
said it would listen to other demands,
the Kuwait News Agency reported.
After an emergency session,
Kuwait’s government said it will send
a three-man delegation on Wednes
day morning “to help Iranian authori
ties” secure the passengers’ release.
Iran asked Kuwait to send a high
ranking delegation to Mashhad in
northeastern Iran for direct talks with
the hijackers.
The hijackers earlier demanded
fuel for the aircraft and threatened to
blow it up if the Iranians approached.
IRNA initially said the Iranians refu
eled the plane, but then said the gun
men were still requesting fuel.
Iranian security forces surrounded
the plane at Mashhad airport to keep
it from taking off. IRNA and Tehran
Radio said.
In “Course focuses on conflicts,”
(DN April 4) the lime Introduction to
Conflict Resolutions will be offered
was incorrect. The course will be
offered next spring.
In the advance about Journalism
Days (DN April 5), the length of a
speech was incorrect. Phillip Webb
will speak today from 4:30 to 5:30
p.m. and will be available to answer
questions afterwards.
NelSraiskan
Editor Mike Rellloy Graphics Editor Tom Lauder
472-1766 Asst Graphics Editor Jody Boom
Managing Editor Jen Deselms Photo Chiel Mark Davie
Assoc Nows I ditors Curl Wagner Night News Editors Joalh Zucco
Chris Anderson Kip Fiv
Editorial Art Director John Bruce
Page Editor Diana Johnson
Wire Editor Bob Nelson
Copy Desk Editor Joan Rozac General Manager Daniel Shattll
a ,Editor Jett Apol Production Manager Katharine Pollcky
Arts & Entertain- Advertising
ment editor Geoft McMurtry Manager Marcia Millar
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