Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno called for dialogue yesterday to cool tensions over a Colombian air strike in Ecuadorian territory that killed Raul Reyes, the No. 2 leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

As Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and his ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, mobilized troops toward their borders with Colombia, Stagno called for “prudence and…a peaceful solution to the controversy.”

A Foreign Ministry statement warned against the “internationalization of a delicate affair that is primarily bilateral.” President Oscar Arias, who spoke by phone over the weekend with Correa and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, described the conflict as being between Ecuador and Colombia, implying that Chávez should not meddle.

“Latin America faces too many challenges to engage in military conflict now,” Arias said in a statement.

As Ecuador broke diplomatic ties with its northern neighbor, Colombian authorities said they found documents on Reyes' computer showing that Venezuela paid the guerrillas at least $300 million. The Organization of American States will hold an emergency meeting today on the conflict.

Reyes lived in Costa Rica in 1998 and met with Arias in the late 1990s to discuss the Colombian peace process, according to the daily Al Día.

Costa Rica could eventually play a role in conflict mediation from its perch on the United Nations Security Council.