Santos, unlike his predecessor Alvaro Uribe, showed himself to be more practical and voiced willingness to mend bilateral relations.

Santos' conciliatory tone was welcomed by Chavez, who sent his foreign minister Nicolas Maduro to Santos' inauguration ceremony and directed him to arrange a bilateral summit.

Besides, leaders of the region played an important role in efforts to mediate between the two sides.

After Nestor Kirchner, secretary-general of the Union of South American Nations, visited Venezuela on Aug. 5-6, Chavez changed his position and sent his foreign minister to Santos' inauguration ceremony.

Leaders of Brazil, Mexico, El Salvador and Uruguay also appealed for easing of the bilateral tensions.

However, despite the latest rapprochement between the two neighbors, analysts expect their disputes to linger for a long time due to their ideological differences.

Miguel Angel Latouche, an expert at the Central University of Venezuela, said Venezuela and Colombia represent two kinds of political models in Latin America.

The root causes of the conflict lie in their different understandings of democracy, and the gap can't easily be bridged by way of diplomatic reconciliation, Latouche said.
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