Don’t Ease Sanctions, Quayle Says in L.A. : Politics: He praises the South African leader as “a symbol of freedom.” Much of the vice president’s time here will be devoted to fund raising.

Across the continent from the historic meeting between President Bush and Nelson Mandela, Vice President Dan Quayle praised the South African leader Monday as “a symbol of freedom” and said the Bush Administration should not consider lifting sanctions against the Pretoria government.

Opening a two-day visit to Los Angeles, Quayle also took pains to play down Mandela’s controversial remarks on the PLO’s Yasser Arafat, Libya’s Moammar Kadafi and Cuban President Fidel Castro.

“Obviously, we may not agree on all the fundamental issues. But there is no doubt in anyone’s mind of what this man stands for,” Quayle said. “He was in prison for 27 years. He wants to see freedom come to South Africa.”

In tone, Quayle’s remarks hinted at stronger support of Mandela--and a stronger backing for U.S. sanctions against the white minority government of South Africa--than has been coming from other members of the Administration, including at times, Bush.

Administration officials were disturbed last week at Mandela’s statement that he supported Kadafi, Arafat and Castro because they “supported our struggle to the hilt,” and the issue was among those addressed during Mandela’s meeting with Bush on Monday. A senior Administration official said afterward that the two simply agreed to disagree on their perceptions of the foreign leaders.

And in comments to reporters last week about sanctions against South Africa, Bush said that while he is not permitted by law to unilaterally lift the sanctions, he would like to find some way to “show our appreciation” to South African President Frederik W. de Klerk for efforts he has made to loosen that nation’s apartheid laws.

In contrast to Bush, who has opposed sanctions, Quayle voted for the economic levers in 1986, when he was a senator. Later, after the sanction legislation was vetoed by then-President Ronald Reagan, Quayle voted to override the veto. He reiterated his support Monday in answering reporters’ questions.

“Now is not the time to talk about lifting sanctions,” said the vice president, adding that he did not see any schedule developing for the gradual easing of restrictions against U.S. trade and investment in South Africa. “Obviously the goal is to eliminate apartheid.”

Quayle’s trip to Los Angeles is largely political in nature. On Monday morning, he attended a private fund-raiser for members of the defense industry, with the proceeds headed for Sen. Pete Wilson’s gubernatorial war chest. Later, after another fund-raiser and golf tournament benefiting a children’s organization, he was to meet with fellow Republicans at the Lancaster home of state Republican Party Chairman Frank Visco.

The vice president and his wife, Marilyn, also spent time Monday promoting the American Cancer Society’s low-cost mammography program and visiting with six women who are at various stages of recovery from breast cancer. The Quayles have adopted breast cancer detection as a volunteer cause, citing as their motivation the cancer-caused death of Marilyn Quayle’s mother.

“Mammography combined with monthly self-breast examination is a woman’s best defense against breast cancer,” Quayle said. “Breast cancer is not a women’s issue. It’s a family issue. . . . I challenge all of you--husbands, brothers, children--to convince your loved one to get a mammogram.”

The 4-year-old program offers women access to a mammogram for $50, well below the average price for the examination. Already this year, more than 14,000 women have called the program’s phone banks for appointments. The program concludes Friday.