Diplomatic crisis with Venezuela 'misunderstanding'

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Friday that the country's diplomatic crisis with the Venezuelan government is a "misunderstanding", and should be solved through diplomatic channels. The crisis broke out after Santos received Venezuela's opposition leader Henrique Capriles at the presidential palace here Wednesday. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro alleged on Thursday that the meeting between Santos and his country's opposition leader was "betraying to Venezuela", adding he was aware of a plan to overthrow his government from Colombia. Responding to the accusation, Santos said at a public gathering in Palmyra, Colombia, that "It is absurd... and this is why I say it's a misunderstanding, it is unreasonable to think that the Colombian government is aware of, or even worse, that it is supporting some actions to destabilize the government of Venezuela. We are indeed the most affected part with any problems in Venezuela." Santos recalled the process of restoring the relations between Colombia and Venezuela in 2010, when he took office as President and reached agreement with then Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, despite their ideological differences. "We believe that for the good of Venezuela and for the good of Colombia, we can solve any misunderstanding wisely by diplomatic means," Santos added.