Article

2010-11-14 Caribbean-Latin America

Iran, Venezuela plan to build rival to Panama Canal

The recent border dispute between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is a sign of an ambitious plan by Venezuela, Iran and Nicaragua to create a "Nicaragua Canal" linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that would rival the existing Panama Canal.

Something that people have talked about for about 150 years ...

Costa Rica says that last week Nicaraguan troops entered its territory along the San Juan River -- the border between the two nations. Nicaragua had been conducting channel deepening work on the river when the incident occurred.

Sources in Latin America have told Haaretz that the border incident and the military pressure on Costa Rica, a country without an army, are the first step in a plan formulated by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, with funding and assistance from Iran, to create a substitute for the strategically and economically important Panama Canal.

The apparent engineering project was surprisingly placed under the supervision of Eden Pastora, better known as "Commandante Cero", a hero of the former Sandinista underground. This was a hint that the work had more than a simple engineering purpose. Two weeks ago, Pastora went to a farm of a Costa Rican citizen in the Calero Island area and told the farm owner that the area belonged to Nicaragua. The farm owner objected and subsequently farm workers were allegedly beaten and farm animals were allegedly killed. The farm owner called Costa Rican police who arrived and reported to their commanders that Nicaraguan troops had entered Costa Rican territory and raised a Nicaraguan flag.

Posted by tu3031 2010-11-14 09:13|| || Front Page|| [11137 views ] Top

#1 Good luck with that -- it will only cost a few hundred BILLION to complete and several hundred lives due to endemic fevers in the route of the Nicaraguan Canal. Plus, the fact that there are active volcanoes in the area might make it a little more difficult. There is a reason why the PANAMA Canal was built where it was.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2010-11-14 15:53|| 2010-11-14 15:53|| Front Page Top

#2 A pretty little engineering problem that will need to be solved at the same time that the Panama Canal is in the midst of a five-year program to widen and deepen it to enable the passage of today's largest ships, currently unable to enter. Still, if the economy picks up, there'd be enough business for two canals, I should think. In the meantime, where will Nicaragua find the funds to pay for the work?

Posted by trailing wife 2010-11-14 16:01|| 2010-11-14 16:01|| Front Page Top

#3 "Iran, Venezuela plan to build rival to Panama Canal"

Hilarity ensues......

Posted by Eohippus Hupoth3220 2010-11-14 17:10|| 2010-11-14 17:10|| Front Page Top

#4 "In the meantime, where will Nicaragua find the funds to pay for the work?"

China?

Posted by European Conservative 2010-11-14 17:15|| 2010-11-14 17:15|| Front Page Top

#5 China already runs the Panama Canal via a Chinese Hong Kong corporation named Hutchison Whampoa operating under the name Hutchison Port Holdings

that link is ten yrs old...

Posted by Frank G 2010-11-14 17:27|| 2010-11-14 17:27|| Front Page Top

#6 Nicaragua is one of the few countries that still have diplomatic relationships with Taiwan.

Watch that space

Posted by European Conservative 2010-11-14 17:54|| 2010-11-14 17:54|| Front Page Top

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