Chavez satisfied with latest medical tests

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez said Monday he's satisfied with results of a series of new medical examinations in Cuba, where he is undergoing treatment for cancer.



"Everything went well," Chavez said of tests results to examine the functioning of organs including his kidneys, liver and heart."



The tests were conducted on Sunday and Monday, Chavez said.



Speaking by telephone to state television, Chavez said other examinations, including blood tests, electrocardiograms and echocardiograms, showed no signs of problems.



Chavez was scheduled to undergo a second round of chemotherapy. During his brief telephone conversation with a TV program host, Chavez said he expected to undergo chemotherapy treatment on Monday.



Chavez, 57, said he should have taken better take of his body, "which I had neglected."



"Now I'm learning to cherish it," he said.



The Venezuelan leader underwent surgery in Cuba in June to remove a cancerous tumor, though he has not disclosed what kind of cancer was found.



Before leaving Venezuela on Saturday, he said he was scheduled to undergo medical tests Sunday and Monday.



Chavez, a former paratroop commander who was first elected in 1998, said he plans to win next year's presidential election and continue governing Venezuela for many more years.



Some of the president's critics have suggested he may not be fit to participate in the election due to his health problems.



In a message carried on his Twitter account, Chavez congratulated Defense Minister Carlos Mata Figueroa for saying a military uprising aimed at ousting the president is unfeasible.



"That's how to talk comrade," wrote Chavez, who survived a short-lived 2002 coup.



"There are no coup mongers here," said Mata Figueroa, addressing naval officers during a ceremony on Venezuela's Margarita Island.