Colombia, Venezuela to reopen border

PUERTO ORDAZ, Venezuela: Venezuela and Colombia agreed Thursday to reopen pedestrian border crossings between their countries, a year after Venezuela closed the frontier in a security dispute.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said he and his Venezuelan counterpart agreed in talks to open five pedestrian crossings for 15 hours a day as a first step to "open the border gradually."
At the talks in the eastern Venezuelan town of Puerto Ordaz, the leaders said they reviewed reports by their advisers on cross-border smuggling and security.
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro closed his country's 2,200km western border last August after an attack on a Venezuelan army patrol.
He said at the time that right-wing paramilitaries from Colombia were to blame.
The leftist leader has briefly reopened the border in recent weeks to allow Venezuelans to stock up on food, medicine and other basic supplies.
Venezuela is facing severe shortages in an economic crisis fuelled by the global crash in the price of oil, its main export.
The United Nations said Venezuela deported hundreds of Colombians last year after the border was closed and that thousands more fled back to Colombia for fear of being expelled. — AFP