Colombia confirms diplomacy over soldiers nabbed in Venezuela
Colombia confirmed on Monday that its soldiers were detained in Venezuela after a cross-border visit and that diplomacy is being done to settle the issue.

Government sources said the detainees were eight soldiers from the 18th Brigade of the Colombian Army based in the country's eastern Arauca City bordering Venezuela.

They were "out of duty" and "wearing civilian clothes," according to the sources.

The soldiers were said to have made a tourist visit across the border. They were arrested by the Venezuelan Guard when trying to return to Colombia.

On Sunday, officers from the 18th Brigade went to the checkpoint of the Venezuelan Army to explain the situation. "Now, this case is being managed at diplomatic levels," the sources said.

The border incident, the latest in a series to shadow the relations between the two Latin American nations, was first brought to light by the Caracas newspaper Ultimas Noticias, which quoted "high-ranking military" sources as reporting the Colombians had been nabbed in the Arauca area in the Venezuelan state of Apure.

Border issues have sparked quarrels between the two countries. Bogota accused Caracas of sheltering the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), while Caracas counter-charged Bogota with frequently violating its 2,200-km border.

Diplomatic ties plunged into crisis in January when Caracas blasted Bogota for paying bounties for kidnapping a FARC rebel leader in Venezuela.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez reached an agreement in February to improve intelligence and border security.