Venezuela and Columbia patch up differences

The leaders of Venezuela and Colombia appeared to put their differences aside today, agreeing to meet face to face after trading accusations and insults sparked the worst diplomatic crisis between the two South American countries in years.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Colombian counterpart, Alvaro Uribe, issued a joint statement saying they would meet soon to strengthen bilateral relations after a spat over a March 1 cross-border raid that killed 25 people, including a top Colombian guerrilla leader.

In a statement, Mr Chavez and Mr Uribe “renewed their commitment of trust and mutual collaboration so that neither Venezuela nor Colombia are victims of violent groups, whatever their origin”.