Looking for Laku in Nicaragua

Monday, 13th July 2009

More evidence emerges to support the notion that Scoop is really a work of non-fiction. This time it's in the form of this report in the Washington Post:

For months, the reports percolated in Washington and other capitals. Iran was constructing a major beachhead in Nicaragua as part of a diplomatic push into Latin America, featuring huge investment deals, new embassies and even TV programming from the Islamic republic.
"The Iranians are building a huge embassy in Managua," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned in May. "And you can only imagine what that's for."
But here in Nicaragua, no one can find any super-embassy.
Nicaraguan reporters scoured the sprawling tropical city in search of the embassy construction site. Nothing. Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce chief Ernesto Porta laughed and said: "It doesn't exist." Government officials say the U.S. Embassy complex is the only "mega-embassy" in Managua. A U.S. diplomat in Managua conceded: "There is no huge Iranian Embassy being built as far as we can tell."
The mysterious, unseen giant embassy underscores how Iran's expansion into Latin America may be less substantive than some in Washington fear.

Priceless, yet also typical since paranoia is a Washington specialty.

Filed under: Iran (144 more articles) , Washington (169 more articles)

Previous Back to Alex Massie Next

Blogs: Martin Bright | Susan Hill | Melanie Phillips | Coffee House | Faith Based

Actions: Print this article | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (1)

Post this entry to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit

Post comment

ndm

July 13th, 2009 9:55pm Report this comment

Spencer Ackermann had a jibe against British newspapers today.

-- Remembering the general admonition against relying on British papers, I run it by an intelligence official.

This is pretty much a standard opinion from high-profile center-left blogs in the US. Josh Marshall can never quote a British story without reminding the reader of his doubts. And I'm pretty sure I've read Matthew Yglesias saying pretty much the same. The New Republic can always print a story attacking The Economist when things are a bit slow in Washington.

Post comment