Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's recent comments supporting FARC's fallen second-in-command have “brought further anxiety” to Nicaraguans living in the United States, said Arthur Estopinan, chief of staff of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

As regional tensions escalated amid disputes between Colombia and her neighbors Venezuela and Ecuador, Ortega's support of Colombia's most powerful rebel group adds to the Sandinista leader's list of “potentially nefarious” allies, which already includes the presidents of Venezuela and Iran.

Ortega on Monday criticized Colombian President Alvaro Uribe for “assassinating” Raul Reyes, who was the No. 2 commander of Colombia's oldest guerilla group, the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC), in an attack on Ecuadorian soil near the Colombian border that killed at least 21 other FARC members. Ortega's comments come as Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, plans to visit with Ortega in attempt to gather support to condemn Colombia's attack in Ecuador.

Yesterday, the Organization of American States stopped short of condemning Colombia for crossing into Ecuador to kill Reyes and his rebel force members, but said Colombia had violated international law, Reuters reported.

The organization's Permanent Council agreed in a resolution to set up a commission to visit Ecuador and Colombia to investigate the raid against FARC.

Meanwhile, members of the Fraternidad Americana-Nicaragüense, a group of Nicaraguans living in the United States, are trying to ratchet up U.S. awareness of Ortega's alliances.

“At this stage it's an educational process. Washington is not really aware of the extent to which the Ortega administration is supporting Chávez or Iran,” Estopinan said, adding that Rep. Ros-Lehtinen is trying to get a meeting with U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams to bring attention to Ortega's “dangerous alliances.” Fraternidad members also plan to speak at the right-wing Washington think tank The Heritage Foundation this week on the issue.

Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican who represents South Florida's 18th District, “shares the concern of the Nicaraguan exile community in South Florida of the alliances between Ortega, Chávez and the Iranian government,” Estopinan said.