Venezuela, Colombia reconciled over election dispute

(Vatican Radio) Venezuela and Colombia have put their dispute about Presidential Candidate Henrique Capriles behind them. The row flared two months ago when Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos met with Henrique Capriles. Capriles is conducting a campaign to get the result of the April Presidential Election in Venezuela scrapped. He narrowly lost, and is claiming fraud as well as intimidation.

Caracas went so far as to threaten to withdraw in his role, as a facilitator of peace talks between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia the FARC in Havana.

Presidents Juan Manuel Santos and Nicolas Maduro were all smiles and hand shakes following a meeting in the Venezuelan City of Puerto Ayachuco, skirting the Amazon.

Both countries have learned from the years of enmity between late President Hugo Chavez and ex-President Alvaro Uribe, who were polar opposities and cordially loathed each other. The resulting economic and commercial sterility fed egos, but not hungry mouths. Today's leaders are being appreciably more pragmatic.

Listen to James Blears’ full report: