Colombia Protests Over
Nicaragua's FARC Remarks
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. |
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