Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has contacted the US State Department's point man on Latin America to discuss the crisis in Honduras, US officials confirmed.

US envoy hopes to re-establish dialogue with Venezuela. A U.S. envoy who was expelled last year by President Hugo Chavez said Thursday he hopes to re-establish dialogue after resuming his post in Venezuela.

The US ambassador to Venezuela has returned to Caracas, restoring diplomatic ties that were ruptured nine months ago with his expulsion in a row with President Hugo Chavez, the US embassy said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department confirmed on Thursday that the United States and Venezuela will reinstate their ambassadors, saying the U.S. envoy planned to arrive in Caracas by the end of the week.

The US and Venezuelan ambassadors who were expelled in a dispute last September will return to their posts in Caracas and Washington after both sides gave the all-clear, a US official said Thursday.

MARACAY, Venezuela (Reuters) - The United States and Venezuela will soon reinstate ambassadors expelled in a diplomatic spat last year, a sign of warmer relations between President Hugo Chavez and what he calls the U.S. "empire."

US, Venezuela look to exchange ambassadors after diplomatic spat. The United States and Venezuela are working to send ambassadors back to each other's capitals.