Correa, left, toured six countries to build support against Colombia [AFP]

The Rio Group summit on Friday is due to focuss on energy and other issues, but the Andean diplomatic crisis has taken centre stage, threatening regional stability.
 
Presidents Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela are demanding a stronger apology from Colombia.

Both countries have cut off diplomatic ties with Colombia and sent extra troops to borders with their neighbour.

However, all three countries say they do not want war.
 
Friday's opening of the summit will mark the first face-to-face encounters between Alvaro Uribe, the president of Colombia, Chavez and Correa since the diplomatic row began.
 
Arriving for the summit on Thursday, Correa said: "Of course we can put an end to ... the conflict in this meeting."
 
"It's as easy as hearing unconditional apologies from [Colombian] President Alvaro Uribe, without fallacies."

Felipe Calderon, Mexico's president, said he hopes that "we can have a dialogue in a sensible way to find a peaceful solution" at the summit, but added that he doubted one would be found quickly.

Correa, who visited six countries to lobby against Uribe in a week full of vehement rhetoric on both sides, said Colombia must pledge not to violate its neighbours' territory any more and cease accusations they are supporting the Farc.

Uribe, who is popular at home for military victories against the Farc, did not talk about the crisis to reporters on arrival in Santo Domingo, the Dominican capital.

But Uribe says he has already apologised and Colombia demands more co-operation from its neighbours in fighting the Farc, who have killed and kidnapped thousands of people in a four-decade conflict.

The Colombian president also refused to rule out future military incursions into Ecuador or Venezuela, saying he first needs assurances from Correa and Chavez that they are not harbouring rebels.

Farc capture

Ecuador made a sign it would move in that direction when, on the eve of the summit, it announced it had captured five Colombian rebels in an Amazonian region near its shared border with Colombia.

"In an operation by the armed forces, five presumed guerrillas were found. Farc guerrillas," Gustavo Larrea, the security minister, said.
 
Chavez has led the region in general condemnation of Colombia's violation of Ecuador's sovereignty and the strongly anti-US leader says the United States is militarising Colombia in order to attack Venezuela.

The US has backed Colombia, its closest South American ally and recipient of billions of dollars in US aid for fighting rebels and the cocaine trade.

Chavez said the troop movements this week were "a way to avoid war." He said he has sent only 1,200 additional troops to the border which is normally guarded by 20,000 soldiers.

"Colombia's government should accept a condemnation with humility like a good neighbour who commits an error and promise not to follow Bush's imperialist doctrine anymore," Chavez said in Santo Domingo.

He also said he did not want to harm Colombia's economy although on Wednesday he threatened to limit trade and investment ties with Bogota.

Nicaragua joined Venezuela and Ecuador on Thursday in cutting off diplomatic relations with Colombia.

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