U.N. head urges restraint after FARC raid

UNITED NATIONS, March 4 (UPI) -- Growing tensions between Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia have prompted a call for restraint from the U.N. secretary-general.

Colombian troops conducted a raid in Ecuador Saturday that resulted in the death of Raul Reyes, a top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. The United States government has classified FARC as a terrorist organization.

The attack prompted troops from Ecuador and Venezuela to amass at their borders with Colombia. The moves led U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to call for restraint by three neighboring countries to avoid taking dangerous steps toward war, the United Nations reported.

In a statement Ban said he was "concerned about the increased tensions and heightened rhetoric emerging over the weekend involving Colombia and its neighbors, Ecuador and Venezuela."

Ban is urging the neighboring countries to "address their shared concerns in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation that has traditionally characterized their relations," Ban said.