Chávez home after surgery for cancerous tumour

President Hugo Chávez returned to Venezuela from Cuba on Monday morning, stepping off a plane hours before dawn and declaring that he feels "fine" as he recovers from surgery that removed a cancerous tumour.

State television showed video of Chávez leaving Havana and then arriving in Caracas about 2 a.m.

"I'm fine. I'm happy," Chávez said upon his arrival at about 2 a.m. He hugged his vice-president, Elias Jaua, and his elder brother, Adan, after stepping down the stairs from the plane.

"A perfect landing," Chávez said.

State television showed the video of Chávez arriving shortly after 7 a.m. Venezuela time. Then, in a telephone interview, he told state television he was having breakfast. "I'm devouring everything," Chávez said.

He received a hero's welcome as he rallied thousands of supporters upon his return to Venezuela, vowing to beat cancer after undergoing surgery in Cuba.

Wearing the combat fatigues and red beret of his army days, Chávez projected strength as he spoke from the balcony of the presidential palace on Monday, waving to the crowd below and raising a fist.

The charismatic president, whose three-week absence spurred a flurry of rumours, delivered a signature performance: the booming voice, the socialist-inspired rhetoric as well as the visceral connection with his audience that inspired rock concert-like frenzy.

"We will also win this battle for life," Chávez said. "We will live! We will be victorious!" Nonetheless, signs of Chávez's fragile health peeked through the stagecraft.

At one point, the 56-year-old leader grimaced with apparent discomfort as he struggled to wave his country's yellow, blue and red flag above his head. The flag ended up awkwardly draping over his scalp, until Chávez emerged with an embarrassed smile from the fabric.

About 30 minutes into the speech, one of his daughters stepped up to remind him of doctors' orders that he not strain himself by speaking at his normal, marathon length.

"I shouldn't be here for too long," Chávez said. "This recovery process has to be carefully watched to the extreme."

- AP