AFP - Plans for South American neighbors to renew diplomatic ties after nearly going to war in 2008 stalled Thursday following an Ecuadoran arrest warrant for the chief of Colombia's armed forces.

A meeting of the commanders of each country's military in Ecuador was cancelled when an Ecuadoran judge issued an arrest warrant for Colombian General Freddy Padilla, Ecuadoran Security Minister Miguel Carvajal said.

A Colombian source told AFP that Bogota feared an attempt to arrest Padilla would trigger another crisis.

Padilla was scheduled Friday to meet Ecuadoran General Fabian Varela in the northern city of Ibarra as part of the process aimed to renew ties.

Quito broke off relations with Bogota after Colombian troops attacked a jungle camp belonging to leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas inside Ecuador on March 1, 2008.

More than 25 people were killed in the raid, including the FARC's second in command, Raul Reyes.

After months of diplomatic back-and-forth, the two countries announced on September 24 they had opened direct talks and would be naming diplomats at their respective embassies.

Padilla was going to give Varela information on other FARC jungle camps inside Ecuador, Ecuadoran Defense Minister Javier Ponce told AFP.

Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Fander Falconi said that the government had no say over the arrest warrant, which was "an autonomous decision" by the country's judicial branch.

Falconi insisted that Ecuador has the "political will to advance, to build dialogue with Colombia and to normalize relations."

Ecuadoran prosecutors earlier issued arrest warrants against former Colombian defense minister Juan Manuel Santos, accused of directing the cross border raid.