RIO DE JANEIRO, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government said on Monday it will make diplomatic efforts to ease tensions among Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela triggered by a Colombian trespass on Ecuadorian soil to attack rebels.

    Colombian forces on Saturday killed 21 rebels, including the No. 2 figure of the guerilla group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in a camp inside Ecuador 3 km from the border. The incident has seriously strained the diplomatic relations between Colombia and its neighbors, Ecuador and Venezuela.

    Brazilian Presidency's Foreign Affairs Assistant Marco Aurelio Garcia said that he expects to mobilize "all the forces of the Brazilian diplomacy and of other South American capital cities to reduce the tension" and "find a long-lasting solution to the problem."

    According to Garcia, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will talk to Argentine President Cristina Kirchner about cooperation in the diplomatic effort, in which the Chilean government has also stated its wish to participate.

    Brazil's Minister of Foreign Relations Celso Amorim has made telephone calls to Colombian and Ecuadorian officials in an attempt to find a diplomatic solution to the impasse.

    Garcia said he believed the conflict, which used to be an "internal" conflict between the Colombian government and FARC, is starting to harm the stability of relations among countries on the continent.

    "We do not want to interfere in internal affairs, but our non-interference principle must not mean indifference from the Brazilian side," he said.

    The official also said the diplomatic forces must work for the resumption of initiatives aimed at reaching a humanitarian agreement between the Colombian government and FARC.

    In response to the Colombian cross-border attack on rebels, Ecuador has cut off its diplomatic ties with Colombia, and Venezuela has recalled its ambassador to Colombia and expelled the Colombian ambassador from its territory. Both countries have also intensified military presence along their borders with Colombia.