‘Chavez recovering gradually’

Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro says President Hugo Chavez is “recovering gradually” from cancer.

Maduro made the remarks in a discussion, held in Caracas on Friday, about a book named “Before I Forget,” whose foreword was written by Chavez, The Associated Press reported on Saturday.

“We have passed complex moments. Fortunately, the postoperative cycle is over. The president has entered into a new phase in the treatment for his disease, and is recovering gradually, gaining strength,” the Venezuelan vice president stated.

“What never fails the president is his spirit, and the vital will to be among us,” he added.

He also said he received supportive messages for the Venezuelan leader from around the world.

The 58-year-old Venezuelan president traveled to Havana on December 10 for a fourth operation after his cancer reappeared, despite a year and a half of treatment.

In late March 2012, Chavez began radiation treatment in Cuba after an operation in February 2012 that removed a second cancerous tumor from his pelvic region. Chavez’s first tumor, which was baseball-sized, was removed in June 2011, and then he received chemotherapy.

Chavez, who came to power in 1999, was reelected to a new six-year term in October.