Quayle, in Venezuela, Discusses Drug War, Opposes ‘Debtor Cartel’

Vice President Dan Quayle, arriving Wednesday on his first visit to Latin America, discussed anti-drug efforts with Colombia’s president and declared staunch U.S. opposition to any Latin “debtor cartel.”

The vice president arrived a day before inaugural ceremonies for Venezuela’s new president, Carlos Andres Perez.

Quayle mostly listened as Colombian President Virgilio Barco Vargas reviewed his nation’s effort to combat drugs and guerrillas “and how much help they need from the United States,” said Quayle’s press secretary, David Beckwith.

Beckwith said Quayle congratulated Barco on “those courageous steps” but pointed out that U.S. resources to help out are limited.

Later, Quayle met with Perez, who has supported the concept of debtor nations--which owe billions to banks in the United States and other industrial nations--banding together to seek better terms from their creditors.

Quayle said that he and Perez had “a very frank, candid discussion” on a variety of subjects, “including the debt.” Earlier, he told reporters on his flight to Caracas that “the debtors’ cartel is a non-starter,” Quayle told reporters on his flight to Caracas. He said he views his trip as a chance “to eyeball them, to get a feel where they’re coming from on some of these sensitive issues.”

Traveling through the busy capital by motorcade, Quayle created a cacophony of horn-honking when he decided to stop and buy some bananas, guavas and mangoes at a small market.

“Stimulating the economy already,” he joked to reporters as he left the market, having bought two bags of fruit.