Chavez vows to win battle against cancer

Chavez returns to Venezuela after Cuba surgery

The Associated Press

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez says he will consult with doctors now that he has returned from Cuba after surgery. (Reuters)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is rallying a crowd of thousands of supporters vowing to win a "battle for life" after undergoing cancer surgery.
Chavez addressed the crowd from a balcony of the presidential palace just hours after his surprise return from Cuba.
The Venezuelan president told the crowd he will "win this battle for life."
Chavez spoke strongly but was thinner and paler than usual. He wore the red beret from his days as an army paratroop commander.
Chavez returned from Cuba on Monday as the country was preparing to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its independence from Spain.
At his early morning arrival, Chavez's military chiefs stood behind the president as he spoke on the tarmac, the plane's engine still running. He wore a blue-and-white warm-up suit as he stepped off the plane in the darkness and hugged his vice-president, Elias Jaua, and his elder brother, Adan.
Video on state TV didn't show Chavez either ascending the airplane's stairs in Cuba or descending them in Venezuela.
The 56-year-old leader had arrived in Cuba on June 8 for what ostensibly was a previously scheduled visit. Chavez has said he underwent an initial surgery on June 11 to have a pelvic abscess removed and then a follow-up surgery to remove a cancerous abscessed tumour from his "pelvic region."
Supporters of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez chant slogans during a march in Caracas on Sunday. Ariana Cubillos/Associated Press He announced the second surgery Thursday after an 18-day silence. Neither he nor government officials have given details about what kind of cancer it is or what treatment he is receiving.
Jaua said he and others were "very excited to receive our president."
Former Cuban President Fidel Castro, meanwhile, ended a more than month-long silence to laud Chavez's recovery from surgery in Cuba, saying he was confident the Venezuelan leader will win his battle against cancer.
In an essay published late Sunday, Castro said his country has a "close and indestructible friendship" with Chavez. "Let's give him the strongest support and confidence," he wrote.
Castro said Chavez has worked almost without stopping since taking office in 1999, so it was only natural that his health would suffer. But he said the Venezuelan leader was recovering well.More...