The OAS and the Panama crisis - Organization of American States, Lawrence S. Eagleburger statement - transcript

US Department of State Bulletin, Nov, 1989

Gen. Noriega protected cocaine shipments flown from Medellin, Colombia, through Panama to the United States. Further he arranged for the transshipment and sale of ether and acetone, including such chemicals previously seized by the PDF, to the Medellin cartel. He provided refuge and a base for continued operations to the members of the Medellin cartel after the murder of the Colombian Minister of Justice, Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, in 1984. He agreed to protect a cocaine laboratory being constructed in Darien Province, Panama. And he assured the safe passage of millions of dollars of narcotics proceeds into Panamanian banks. In return for these services, Noriega received in excess of $4.6 million.

Also detailed in the indictment is a June 15, 1984, flight into Miami, Florida, with over a ton of cocaine resulting from this conspiracy.

We have asked the Secretariat to circulate to each of you authentic copies of these indictments.

Abuse and Betrayal

The story these indictments tell is simple and chilling. It is the story of that same shameless excess in the criminal field that we have already seen in the political field. When Noriega became PDF commander in August 1983, what might have been called "minor" corruption became major indeed. What in 1982 was a payment of $100,000 for specific transshipments of drugs through Panama became, by 1984, a payment to Noriega of some $4 million for protection of the cartel itself. What had been private opportunism became brazen abuse of public authority and betrayal, even of close associates. What had been safe for a few became dangerous for everyone--in the PDF, in Panama, in the entire hemisphere.

Assertions by Noriega and his cronies that the U.S. charges are not substantiated by any evidence are bunk. As shown above, the indictments themselves allege repeated and specific acts of criminality involving Noriega personally. Public testimony before congressional committees by former Panamanian Consul General Blandon and by individuals who participated in drug trafficking or money laundering with Noriega--such as Amjad Awan (a former official of the Bank of Credit and Commerce, International), Noriega's former personal pilot Floyd Carlton, drug trafficker Steven Kalish, and by other Noriega associates--also detail Noriega's criminal culpability. A copy of this testimony is available for your inspection at the Secretariat.

Gen. Noriega's representative here challenged the credibility of the witnesses against him by noting that some of them are themselves convicted criminals. This should come as no surprise to those of you who have struggled against drug trafficking. Drug traffickers do not generally carry out their conspiracies in the presence of honest citizens. Witnesses testify under penalty of perjury. They can be tried and jailed for making false statements to the grand jury, the court, or the Congress.

Our prosecutors and grand juries are well aware of the background of such witnesses. They, therefore, carefully test the statements of such witnesses against account records, physical evidence, and the testimony of other witnesses not charged with crimes to see if their statements are corroborated or contradicted. In this case, after investigation, the grand jury obviously determined that sufficient credible evidence existed to indict Gen. Noriega.