U.S. DENIES NORIEGA PAROLE

FORT LAUDERDALE (AP) - Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was denied
early release from prison, despite a letter from a Miami federal judge
saying the 70-year-old former general has spent enough time behind bars.

The U.S. Parole Commission decided last week to deny Noriega's request for
parole, said Tom Hutchinson, the commission's executive director.

Noriega's attorney, Frank Rubino, said he would appeal.

U.S. District Court Judge William Hoeveler, who sentenced Noriega for his
1992 drug trafficking conviction, said Noriega is a converted Baptist who
frequently sees the pastor who baptized him, according to a Feb. 20 letter
to U.S. Parole Commission Chairman Edward F. Reilly.

Hoeveler had originally sentenced Noriega to 40 years in prison, but in
1999 reduced his sentence by 10 years. Noriega is serving his time in a
Miami federal prison.

Hoeveler wrote that Rubino told him Noriega doesn't want to return to politics.