VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT CHAVEZ GESTURES AT HIS TROOPS IN CIUDAD GUAYANA, 2001-03-23 (photo)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gestures at his army troops minutes before the arrival of Colombian President Andres Pastrana at Macagua airport in Ciudad Guayana, 700 kms southeast of capital, March 23, 2001. Venezuela and Colombia, their relations strained by disputes over Colombian leftist guerrillas, appeared ready Friday to put ties back on a more even keel as their presidents headed for a crucial meeting. Venezuelan authorities temporarily freed Jose Maria Ballestas, who is wanted for the 1999 hijacking of a Colombian airliner, in a move that angered Bogota and fueled speculation about links between Chavez and leftist rebels in Colombia. Following the furious Colombian reaction, Venezuela later re-arrested Ballestas, a member of Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group, and charged him with carrying false identity papers. JMG/HB