Harare  Zimbabwe and Botswana officials are meeting in the Zimbabwean resort town of Victoria Falls as efforts intensify to ease tensions between the southern African neighbours sparked by last month’s detention of three Batswana rangers for illegally entering Zimbabwean territory.

The two countries are being represented by their respective defence, justice and home affairs ministers, defence forces commanders and police commissioners.

A senior Botswana official said Wednesday that Zimbabwe had agreed to return guns and a vehicle seized from three Botswana rangers arrested for straying into its territory last month and promised to withdraw an appeal against a court decision to acquit the rangers of charges relating illegal possession of firearms and smuggling.

Botswana’s acting permanent secretary for defence, justice and security Augustine Makgonatsotlhe said the vehicle and rifles were now in Botswana.

Makgonatsotlhe said the Zimbabwe delegation had also agreed to reconsider the prohibited status of the rangers and immediately withdraw an appeal against the sentence imposed on the rangers.

Three wildlife officers from Botswana were earlier this month declared prohibited persons in Zimbabwe after being convicted and fined US$100 each for contravening Harare’s immigration laws by illegally entering the country in late January.

They were however acquitted of two other charges relating to the possession of firearms and ammunition without a licence and the alleged smuggling of a vehicle into Zimbabwe.

The rangers were arrested five weeks ago after they “mistakenly” crossed into Zimbabwe while chasing lions that had killed cattle in villages on the Botswana side of the border.

The border between the two countries is not clearly marked in the area where the Botswana rangers were arrested. The arrest sparked a diplomatic row between Harare and Gaborone, with Botswana expelling two officials from the Zimbabwean embassy in retaliation.