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Colombia protests over Nicaragua's FARC remarks
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's government on Friday formally complained to Nicaragua after President Daniel Ortega, an ex-Marxist guerrilla, referred to a Colombian rebel commander as a brother.
Ortega, a former Cold War enemy of Washington, called FARC chief Manuel Marulanda a "dear brother" during a speech this week in which he also backed international efforts to free captives held by the leftist rebels.
"The government ... is obliged to reject phrases expressing brotherhood with terrorists," the Foreign Ministry said in a protest note to Managua. "Colombia awaits clarification of the statement to ensure such actions do not affect relations."
After four decades of conflict, the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, is Latin America's longest running insurgency. But violence has ebbed as President Alvaro Uribe's U.S.-backed security drive has forced rebels into the jungles.
U.S. and European officials brand the FARC a terrorist group engaged in Colombia's cocaine trade. Guerrillas are holding scores of hostages for ransom and political leverage.
Washington's major ally in the region, Uribe is engaged in a diplomatic spat with Venezuela over his decision to suspend President Hugo Chavez's attempts to broker a hostage deal. Ortega is a left-wing ally of the Venezuelan leader.
Other Latin American countries and France have backed efforts to reach a deal to free hostages including French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt, a former presidential candidate held since 2002, and three American contract workers snatched the year after.
(Reporting by Patrick Markey in Bogota; Editing by Xavier Briand)
