Venezuela restores Colombia relations

Venezuela will immediately restore diplomacy with Colombia, the government said today after this week's resolution of a regional dispute.

A Colombian raid on a guerrilla camp in Ecuador last week sparked the region's worst diplomatic crisis in years, with Venezuela and Ecuador sending troops to their borders with Colombia, their US-backed neighbour.

Leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cut ties with Colombia, but after a handshake at a regional summit on Friday, Mr Chavez promised to quickly withdraw the 10 army battalions he had sent to the border and normalise relations.

Colombia's March 1st raid on a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, rebel camp killed over 20 fighters including the rebels' second in command, Raul Reyes.

The attack came just days after the Farc released four lawmakers they had held hostage for years in a deal negotiated by Chavez, who has good relations with the guerrillas.

The foreign ministry said yesterday that Venezuela would send diplomats back to Bogota immediately and was ready to receive Colombian diplomats "as soon as possible".

Relations are still delicate between Colombia's pro-Washington government and left-wing nationalists in Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia.

© 2008 ireland.com