Venezuela and Colombia turn a new page

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his new Colombian counterpart, Juan Manuel Santos, have agreed to restore diplomatic relations. The ties between the two nations severed when last year after Colombia agreed to let US forces use military bases in its territory. And when Mr Uribe presented evidence that Venezuela was harboring rebels, Mr Chavez broke ties completely and sent troops to the border, saying he feared war.But at a meeting in the Colombian city of Santa Marta, the two leaders agreed to relaunch bilateral relations. They admitted personal differences, but said they were putting them aside in the interest of both nations. The two leaders met in the house where Simon Bolivar - a South American independence hero and Mr Chavez's idol - died in 1830.We have had a frank, direct and sincere dialogue, and I think we have taken a big step in re-establishing confidence, Mr Santos said. He said the two countries would exchange ambassadors as soon as possible. For his part, Mr Chavez said he had come to turn the page. We have to learn to live together, he said. Our peaceful revolution in Venezuela does not represent any threat to Colombia.The Venezuelan leader repeated his rejection of the allegations - by Mr Santos's predecessor, Alvaro Uribe - that 1,500 Colombian Farc and ELN rebels were sheltering on Venezuelan territory. The agreement to restore ties follows two years of deteriorating relations between the two Andean neighbors.Before Mr Santos was elected, Mr Chavez described him as a threat to the entire region whose election might lead to war. But although he served as defense minister under President Uribe and shares many of his conservative political views, Mr Santos stressed he wanted compromise, not confrontation, with Venezuela.It is hoped that the restored relations would improve the bilateral trade between the two countries, which had been reduced by around 70%, with grave effects on border cities.