Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador have resolved their dispute over a Colombian military attack inside Ecuador that killed at least twenty-four FARC rebels last week. At a regional summit in the Dominican Republic, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe apologized and said his government will respect other countries’ borders. Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa accepted the apology but said he will still push for an investigation.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa: “I’m going to turn it over to the judicial system and political opposition. And with that, as a country, this grave incident that has caused so much damage to our country will be behind us.”

Nicaragua had joined Ecuador and Venezuela in cutting off their diplomatic ties with Colombia. Uribe, in turn, accused Ecuador and Venezuela of supporting the FARC rebels. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denied the claim but said he refuses to adopt the Colombian and US stance.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: “They call them terrorists; we don’t. Just the United States, the European Union and Colombia. So when you keep holding that in my face about the fight against terrorism, what are we talking about? You want to obligate me, push me. Let’s respect each other. For us, they are not terrorists, but insurgent forces, guerrilla forces. First, you have to recognize that and then look for a path to peace.”