Chávez's health delays LAC summit

Venezuela's government postponed next week's summit of Latin American leaders Wednesday, citing President Hugo Chávez's health as he recovers from surgery in Cuba.

The decision to put off the July 5-6 meeting until later this year was announced shortly after new videos aired on state television showing Chávez chatting with Fidel Castro in Cuba, appearing lucid and talkative. Chávez's televised appearance broke a long post-surgery silence that has prompted speculation about his health.

"The president is in the middle of a recuperation process and extremely strict medical treatment," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

As a result, it said, Venezuela has consulted with other governments and "made the decision to postpone" the gathering of Latin American and Caribbean leaders on Margarita Island.

Chávez had been expected to host the summit on the 200th anniversary of Venezuela's independence from Spain. He promoted it as an event to lay the groundwork for a new regional bloc, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, that would exclude the United States and Canada.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said it will work with other countries to schedule a new date for the summit in Venezuela later in the year. It remained unclear how soon Chávez might be able to return home.

Footage of Tuesday's encounter in Cuba showed Chávez and Castro in a garden chatting amiably about old times and discussing a Cuban newspaper article about school uniforms. It then cut to them seated indoors having an animated conversation.

"Today's newspaper, today's front page," Chávez said, reading the headlines in the Venezuelan state newspaper El Correo del Orinoco.

Vice-president Elias Jaua told Venezuelan state television that the latest images show that the 56-year-old Chávez is clearly getting better.

"The president is in the process of recuperating, and he has a right to recuperate," Jaua said. "He has the right to take the time necessary to recuperate."

He said Chávez was on top of his duties and worked on military issues and other matters Wednesday. He did not provide other details about Chávez's health, nor say when he was expected to return home.

Chávez has said the surgery removed a pelvic abscess, yet a lack of details about his condition has fed speculation in Venezuela that the president might be seriously ill.

Some of Chavez's political opponents were not convinced Chávez looked healthy in the latest videos, and said he appeared thinner than usual.

Jaua has led government events in Chávez's absence and the leftist president's elder brother, Adan, rallied supporters at a Sunday prayer meeting for Chávez's health.

Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, a Chávez ally, said before the announcement of the summit cancellation that he expected the Venezuelan leader to be home in time for the country's independence anniversary July 5.

Speaking on a television programme in Uruguay on Tuesday night, Mujica joked that "Fidel Castro kidnapped Chávez to ensure his recovery."

"Chávez is very temperamental," Mujica said. "They operated on him and he needs about 20-something days of recovery."

Mujica didn't say whether he had spoken with Venezuelan or Cuban officials about Chávez's condition.

- AP