Lantern Network - St. Louis Lantern
July 10, PAE 82

Today marks the arrival of Duke Calder on his previously announced visit to Havana. The Duke is accompanied by a notable entourage; in addition to his own retainers and members of the foreign service, a Panther Nation delegation was also invited to accompany the Duke on his journey.

Tensions and expectations are high on all accounts. Former Confederacy news outlets have been publishing lively accounts of the debate within both the city states and the Confederate Federal Government. The emergence of the Panther Nation as an interested power has stirred long simmering resentments between the City States and Havana, and internal debate as well. The City States are at once both outraged and intrigued by the intentions expressed by the Panther Nation, and the opportunity they represent to deal decisively with problems the region has suffered for decades.

The flurry of diplomatic activity has not gone un-noticed in wider international circles. Various members of the Hispanic League have expressed discomfort both at the entry of new national entities to the world stage, as well as the Panther Nation's interest in what has long held to have been an area of interest to various of the League's members. Always watchful of British interests and presumed interference in their sphere of influence, the Duke's visit has been protested as yet another example of expanding British Imperialism.

In Bogota, a spokesmen for the league did issue this official statement from the Hispanic League Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores:

"The League wishes to express its disapproval over the current delegation from various foreign powers to the Confederate Federal government in Havana. It is far from proven that the Panther Nation will act in the best interest of Confederate citizens living in the territory they seek to control. The British government as a whole, the Dominions of New England and Texas in particular, have long been responsible for much of the difficulties suffered by the City States. The League fails to see how the current flurry of diplomatic activity represents any departure from their historic interference in the region. The League considers this to be a matter internal to the Confederacy, and not in the purview of foreign powers. We advise the Panther Nation to avoid interfering in the affairs of their immediate neighbors."

At this writing, neither the Foreign Office nor the Duke's Chatelaine's office have any comment. Talks are expected to begin immediately.