The Dutch caretake Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maxime Verhagen, said the problems between the Netherlands and Venezuela have been resolved. He made the announcement after a meeting in Caracas with this Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro.

Mr Verhagen travelled to Venezuela this week after a working visit to the Antilles islands in the Caribbean. Relations between the countries had cooled following recent accusations by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez that United States spy planes were taking off from the Antilles. This week, a Dutch helicopter was accused of violating Venezuelan air space. The Dutch government immediately dismissed the claim as nonsense.

One of the reasons for the tensions with Venezuela is that the United States uses airbases on the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curaçao, which are former Dutch colonies and not far from the Venezuelan coast. The Dutch government cooperates closely with the United States in combating drug trafficking in the Caribbean region.

Mr Verhagen now says it has been agreed that Venezuela will make no more unfounded accusations. Experts from both countries will meet soon to prevent any further misunderstandings.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide