Venezuela and Colombia reopen border crossings without incident

San Antonio del Táchira (Venezuela) (AFP) - Venezuela and Colombia on Saturday opened several "provisional" border crossing points for pedestrians for the first time in nearly a year as part of a progressive reopening agreed this week, AFP journalists confirmed. During three temporary border openings last month, some 150,000 Venezuelans -- suffering from their country's severe economic crisis -- poured into Colombia to purchase food, medicine and other basics. Both governments agreed to facilitate "the fastest possible movement of people, rapidly but in a controlled fashion," Venezuelan regional military chief Jose Morantes Torres said.