MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Contradictory reports on the health condition of President Chavez

Deputy Foreign Affairs minister Temir Porras said the ‘right wing’ press in Miami was “day dreaming”

Venezuela’s Deputy Foreign Affairs minister Temir Porras said on Saturday President Hugo Chavez was rapidly recovering from surgery and described reports to the contrary published in the Miami press as ‘day dreaming’

“President Chavez is recovering very well and fast from surgery. May enemies cease day dreaming and friends cease being nervous”, said Porras in his twitter.

“The only metastasis is the Miami Herald cancer and the rest of the right wing press”, added Porras.

Miami’s Spanish language El Nuevo Heraldo published Friday and Saturday quoting US intelligence sources that Chavez “was in critical, complicated condition”.

Loquacious President Chavez is in convalescence in Havana where last June 10 he underwent surgery for a pelvis abscess. Two days later the Venezuelan president talked about his health condition on the Telesur channel but since then had remained silent, until Friday when he surfaced through his Twitter.

“On this very special day I’m here next to you working. Victory for ever; we are winning and we will be victorious” wrote Chavez in his twitter @chavezcandanga on the day the Venezuelan army celebrated the 190 anniversary of victory in the Battle of Carabobo, which definitively put an end to Spanish colonialism and opened the way for the country’s independence.

Porras statements follow those of Executive minister Erika Farías and Communications minister Andres Izarra who denied point blank President Chavez health condition was critical.

The president’s brother Adán Chavez said the Venezuelan leader would be back in ten/twelve days on time for the Latin America and Caribbean summit scheduled in the island of Margarita on July 5/6 and when the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, CELAC, will be officially announced.

“We don’t know exactly when he will be coming back. We have to wait for the doctors evaluation but in a few days, ten, twelve days, the president will be back here with us”, said Chavez eldest brother and governor of the state Barinas, who recently returned from Havana.

The intelligence sources quoted in El Nuevo Heraldo said that while “Chavez isn’t in any immediate risk of dying, his situation is crucial and complicated. His daughter, Rosines Chavez, and ex-wife Marisabel Rodriguez were flown in a military aircraft to Havana in the last 72 hours to be by the president’s bedside”.

The intelligence sources said they could not confirm that Chavez, who was last seen in public June 9, is suffering from prostate cancer as has been rumoured in Caracas, El Nuevo Heraldo said.

Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said on Friday Chavez needs the support of his compatriots in “this big battle for his health.”

The lack of information surrounding Chavez’s surgery for what he said was a pelvic abscess has raised questions about the true state of his health and triggered debates about whether he should be running South America’ss largest oil producer from Cuba.