A fierce diplomatic dispute between Venezuela and Colombia is unlikely to develop into a conflict because the two Andean neighbors have strong ties, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. "We see no possibility of conflict between the two countries. On the contrary, they have such deep and important ties the governments will find a way to manage," Tom Shannon, assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, told local Caracol radio in Spanish. He was speaking in advance of a visit to Colombia by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday during which she is expected to reinforce U.S. economic and political backing for Uribe. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has recalled his Bogota envoy and attacked President Alvaro Uribe after a dispute over Chavez's role in freeing hostages held by Colombian rebels. The diplomatic crisis broke out last year after Uribe ended Chavez's attempts to negotiate with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, rebels over their hostages, who include a French-Colombian politician and three Americans.
