Part 3 of this series of questions. In the meantime, I realized that there is some very simple question that was left open in http://mathoverflow.net/questions/66285/accumulation-of-algebraic-subvarieties-near-one-subvariety-there-are-many-others .

Let's work again over the field $\mathbb{C}$ of complex numbers, and let $X\subset \mathbb{P}^n$ be a projective variety. Let $\tilde{X}\subset \mathbb{P}^n$ be any small open neighborhood of $X$, in the complex topology.

> Question: Does there exist a smooth algebraic subvariety of $\mathbb{P}^n$ contained in $\tilde{X}$ of dimension equal to the dimension of $X$?

Any ideas are welcome, also for the similar question over characteristic $p$ fields, i.e. working over a field like the completed algebraic closure of $\mathbb{F}_p((t))$, and taking a small neighborhood in the $t$-adic topology. Changing to such fields might have the advantage that bend-and-break type techniques become available, but I do not see how to make use of them.