HAVANA, June 29 (UPI) -- State-run broadcasters in Venezuela and Cuba aired video of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, rumored to be in poor health, chatting with Cuba's Fidel Castro.
Chavez wore a tracksuit in images the government said were taken after recent surgery to remove a pelvic abscess, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday. One video showed his daughter in the background and other images showed him reading a Cuban newspaper.
"Let these images serve to bring peace to the people of Venezuela regarding the health of President Chavez," Communications Minister Andres Izarra said on Venezuelan state TV. "To those of you who speculating over the president's health, there he is. ... President Chavez is fine, recovering well."
On Tuesday, some media reported he was in a coma.
The video and photos highlight the uncertainty about Chavez's weeks-long disappearance and its effect in Venezuela and throughout the region, the Herald reported. Chavez faded from public view June 10, and had granted only one telephone interview since.
