Cuba Tests Show Chavez Needs New Surgery

By Circles Robinson

HAVANA TIMES, Feb 21 — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced on Tuesday that he would need more surgery in the area where he had a cancerous tumor removed last summer.

Chavez said tests run over the weekend in Havana, Cuba, show a two-centimeter lesion in his pelvis that must be removed.

He did not give a programmed date for the procedure.

“It’s a small lesion that must be removed surgically,” Chavez told Telesur today at a Veneminsk tractor factory in the state of Barinas, Venezuela.

Chavez added “I’m in good physical condition to face this new battle. With God’s help they will successfully remove the lesion.”

He did not say whether the procedure would take place in Cuba or Venezuela, noting he would have to consult with his advisors.

The president said he had planned to inform the nation on Wednesday of his health situation but due to rumors circulating in the media he decided to make the announcement on Tuesday.

Chavez had not announced his weekend trip to Cuba, however different media sources had speculated that it was an emergency trip for health reasons.

“They are inventing rumors about my health, to try to create anguish, anxiety and try to destabilize the country in that way,” he said.

Venezuela is Cuba’s leading trade partner and political ally.