Quayle Says He Won’t Apologize for Invasion

CLEVELAND — Vice President Dan Quayle, spearheading U.S. efforts to repair a rift with Latin America over the invasion of Panama, said today he will offer no apology to leaders of the region for “the liberation of Panama.”

Quayle begins the first of two diplomatic missions to Latin America when he attends a presidential inauguration ceremony Jan. 27 in Honduras. A more extensive trip will be undertaken in February, but no dates have been set.

“I’m not going there in a defensive posture,” Quayle told reporters at a news conference in Cleveland. “I’m going to talk about the liberation of Panama.”

Quayle said he will stress that “we’re all Americans” during his missions, which will be devoted primarily to listening to leaders in the hemisphere.

Quayle has been named by President Bush to head U.S. diplomatic efforts to repair the rift in relations between Washington and most of Latin America over last month’s invasion.