(Adds proposed appeal by Noriega's attorneys, details)

By Tom Brown

MIAMI, Sept 7 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Friday refused to block the extradition of deposed Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega to France after his long prison sentence in Florida ends on Sunday.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler, which Noriega's lawyers said they would appeal to a higher court, marked another legal setback for the 73-year-old Noriega who has been convicted in France of using illegal drug profits to buy three luxurious apartments.

In the order lifting the stay that he had imposed on Noriega's extradition on Wednesday, Hoeveler rejected allegations that France would fail to treat Noriega as a prisoner of war and abide by the protections awarded POWs under the Geneva Conventions.

Noriega was captured in January 1990 following the U.S. invasion of Panama a month earlier. He was convicted in Hoeveler's court in 1992 on U.S. drug trafficking, racketeering and conspiracy charges.

A spokeswoman for Frank Rubino, Noriega's lead attorney, said he and his co-counsel had immediately filed a motion indicating they intended to appeal Hoeveler's decision before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

Noriega was expected to remain behind bars in a federal detention center south of Miami during the appeals process, U.S. prosecutors have said.

AlertNet news is provided by