Colombian President Álvaro Uribe initialed a project by Venezuela and the Andean Development Corporation to start layout of a gas pipeline from Colombian reservoirs in the Caribbean to Maracaibo port, a Venezuelan diplomat reported Monday.

The decision was made following meetings held in Bogotá over the last few weeks by delegates of state oil holding Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) and Colombian Petroleum Company (Ecopetrol), Venezuelan ambassador to Bogotá Carlos Rodolfo Santiago said.

"Now, only technical issues remain, as Presidents Hugo Chávez and Álvaro Uribe already made the political decision," Santiago told AP.

The project includes a gas pipeline from Colombian submarine wells in front of the Guajira peninsula to Maracaibo, to supply the Venezuelan region, where there is plenty of oil deposits, but lack of gas.

The project will have about 200 kilometers length for an estimate of USD 300 million.