Ecuador recalls ambassador from Colombia

Ecuador has decided to withdraw its ambassador from northern neighbor Colombia in protest against "a transgression of the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity" by the Colombian army and warned that the move would result in "ultimate consequences".

According to Ecuador, Reyes was killed in Angostura, a region in the northern Ecuadorian province of Sucumbios.

The Ecuadorian Foreign Minister has lodged a formal protest with Bogota.

Correa said on television late Sunday that he had ordered the expulsion of the Colombian ambassador to Quito and had ordered troops to the border area.

Shortly after Correa's order, the Colombian government accused Correa of having ties with FARC.

"In the belongings of Raul Reyes found by the police and the Colombian forces were three computers ... in the next few minutes Police Commander General Oscar Naranjo will show document found in those computers which show evidence that the president of Ecuador, President Correa, has relations with the FARC," a Colombian presidential spokesman told reporters.

In a statement issued earlier the same day, Correa, who had canceled a visit to Cuba to deal with the situation at home, denounced Colombia's move as "the worst aggression suffered by Ecuador".

But Ecuador's Deputy Foreign Minister Jose Valencia told local media that the measure does not imply the end of Ecuador-Colombia ties because trade links remain, and that bilateral relations could return to normal if the clarification of the circumstances satisfies Ecuador.

Ecuador has already said it will seek compensation from Colombia and will appeal to the international courts if necessary to guarantee its territorial integrity.