Inside Report (5)

"Wanted: country needed embassy in Washington. Choice location. Cosmopolitan neighbors. . . ." The US has one more Iranian "asset" to deal with -- its vacant embassy in Washington. Whoever takes it may be in for a bit of "urban homesteading." The building -- its shutters and carved front doors shut tight -- grows shabbier. In the driveway, a sight to make an import car lover cry: A Mercedes is being swallowed by a hedge, with leaves covering the hood and beginning to twine 'round the windshield wipers.

On second thought, a slightly-used Mercedes, properly pruned, just might clinch a sale.m