Chavez back in Cuba for chemotherapy

CARACAS, Venezuela, July 16 (UPI) -- Venezuelan President Hugh Chavez says he will go to Cuba Saturday to undergo chemotherapy treatment for a cancer he had removed earlier.

"I need to continue completing the strict plan designed by the medical team that is accompanying me on this ascent of the mountain," Chavez said Friday.

The Russian news agency RIA Novosti said Chavez, 56, underwent surgery in Cuba last month to remove a cancerous tumor from his pelvic area, although the exact nature of the illness isn't known.

Chavez spent nearly a month in Cuba recovering from the surgery, the BBC reported.

Chavez has asked the National Assembly to authorize Saturday's trip to Cuba, as the constitution requires.

China's Xinhua news agency said Chavez has made several appearances on television this week. He also addressed troops, attended mass and led a cabinet meeting.

"I know there are people who are happy because they believe I'm dying, that I'm going to die soon," Chavez said Friday on state television. "But those evil wishes are part of that hatred … that is erased like a tsunami of love by the blessings and prayers of a nation, of millions."