The United States and Venezuela are to reinstate ambassadors to Caracas and Washington, setting aside a diplomatic spat that soured ties last year.

The two nations expelled each other's envoys last September in a dispute involving allegations by Bolivia, a close ally of Venezuela, that Washington was meddling in its internal affairs.

The normalisation of diplomatic ties "will take place in the coming days, and as soon as the ambassadors have resumed their functions we will move forward to a more fluid communication," Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan foreign minister, said on Wednesday.

Ian Kelly, a US state department spokesman, said it was unclear when an ambassador would return to Caracas or who it would be.

Reuters quoted state department sources as saying that Patrick Duddy, who was expelled from Caracas in September, would return there.

His counterpart Bernardo Alvarez is expected in Washington this week.

Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, who had been a fierce critic of Washington, met Barack Obama, his US counterpart, for the first time at a Trinidad summit in April.

Chavez said then he hoped to begin a "new era" in relations between the two countries, which have often feuded over Washington's role in Latin America.

The news of the restoration of Venezuela-US ties came as a US official confirmed that Washington planned to reappoint an ambassador to Damascus after a four-year absence.