Latin Nations Give Quayle Cold Shoulder : Diplomacy: The invasion of Panama has ruffled feathers, putting a damper on his proposed tour.

In a direct slap at President Bush, Mexico and several other Latin American nations are balking at receiving Vice President Dan Quayle for the Administration’s much-promoted diplomatic mission to smooth resentment of the Panama invasion.

Bush announced Quayle’s mission Jan. 5, presenting it as a major American effort to persuade Central and South America that the military operation in Panama was a unique situation and that the Administration has no aggressive intentions in the region.

But, as the White House scrambled to outline the schedule, a senior official acknowledged Wednesday that “there is less of a welcome mat out for him than we expected.”

Mexico was conspicuous among those prepared to snub the Administration. In addition to objecting to the invasion, Mexico was infuriated by an NBC television miniseries on the slaying of U.S. drug agent Enrique S. Camarena on Feb. 7, 1985. The program emphasized Mexican police corruption.

In addition, Venezuela also made it clear that Quayle will not be welcome, U.S. officials said. And a Venezuelan opposition leader, Eduardo Fernandez, was quoted in Caracas as saying that such a visit was not “the most advisable or opportune.”

As word began circulating that a number of Latin American nations were reluctant to extend invitations to Quayle, the vice president’s aides moved up a previously postponed announcement of his travel plans, emphasizing two trips already on his schedule.

From Jan. 27-29, Quayle will visit Honduras for the presidential inauguration of Rafael Callejas and will also visit Panama and Jamaica. He also will visit Chile and Brazil from March 10-16 for inaugurations in those nations.

In discussing the trip Wednesday, Quayle said no country had flatly turned him down.

“There are no problems with consulting with the Latin American leaders. There is no problem as far as us taking our case to the leaders . . . discussing what or how we go about building democracy in Panama,” he said during a question-and-answer session after a speech to the board of governors of the Hoover Institution, a conservative policy research organization based at Stanford University.

U.S. officials said some leaders in Latin America are willing to meet with Quayle in private only if the meetings could be arranged quietly while they attend the upcoming inaugural ceremonies.

Another official said that in some cases, potential hosts begged off by saying their calendars were too full or they were not likely to be in town when Quayle wanted to visit.

When he announced that he was dispatching Quayle to Latin America, Bush said the travel would be undertaken to demonstrate his interest in the region.

On Wednesday, stressing the message he will carry to Latin America--that of “building a democratic future for Panama”--Quayle told the Hoover group: “My mission is not one to apologize. It is not an effort to mend fences. Rather, it is an effort to look forward, to consult with Latin leaders on how we make Panama a successful democracy.”

The statements reflected the sensitive nature of the United States’ relations with the rest of the Americas, not only because of the Panama invasion, which was strongly denounced in South America, but also as a result of the now-aborted plan to station a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and other warships off Colombia.

The deployment would have represented a stepped-up role for the U.S. military in interdicting drug shipments, but it was seen as a direct affront to Latin America, which throughout the century has found itself on the receiving end of U.S. military interdiction.

Times staff writer Don Shannon contributed to this story.