Hugo Chavez cancels Latin summit as health rumors swirl (The Christian Science Monitor)

The (new) video is certainly made to convince us that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is fine, showing him talking this time (unlike the last video released) and reading newspaper headlines as “proof of life,” but the president is certainly thinner, less energetic, and definitely recovering from something.

He disappeared for 18 days and is still not well enough to either address the nation or hold the summit to celebrate Venezuela's bicentennial next week on July 5. ...

The summit has been officially canceled, even if Chavez could still try to show up for the military parade that day. ...

What is clear is that, as I suggested a couple of days ago, Chavez has been very ill, is recovering and receiving “strict medical treatment” as stated in the press release canceling the summit.

The videos seem aimed more at a domestic audience than the rest of the world, sort of sending the message he is still around, don’t stir the pot, and follow the party line or else.

But there is no question that things will be different if Chavez’s illness is chronic or serious and will diminish his ability to campaign and/or run the country.

This changes the game.

With a Chavez with diminished popularity, the upcoming campaign already required his full attention.... If what he has is a long-term problem, not only his supporters, but his collaborators will begin questioning whether he should be the revolution’s candidate in 2012.

This in itself may result in a weaker effort by Chavez’s supporters, worried about their long-term future and stability and the possible demise of the Bolivarian Revolution.

--- Miguel Octavio, a Venezuelan, is not a fan of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. You can read his blog here.

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Venezuela scraps summit due to Chavez health (Reuters)

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela called off a regional summit due to Hugo Chavez's unexpectedly longer recovery from surgery in Cuba, hours after releasing video on Wednesday of the socialist leader chatting with Fidel Castro.

The cancellation was a big blow for supporters of the charismatic but authoritarian Venezuelan president, who had hoped return to host the July 5-6 meeting, which coincides with the South American nation's 200th anniversary of independence.

Chavez, 56, likes to grandstand at big events and had been planning a national party, with various heads of state in tow.

His government said the meeting of Latin American and Caribbean leaders was off for "force majeure" reasons. "Comandante Hugo Chavez Frias is in the middle of a process of recovery and extremely strict medical treatment," it said.

The statement said the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit would be rescheduled for the second half of the year.

In the new video footage released earlier on Wednesday, Chavez appeared back to his chatty self in an encounter in Cuba with Castro, his close friend and political mentor, aimed at tempering rumors he is seriously ill.

Chavez's absence has convulsed politics at home and spawned a frenzy of speculation over the future of his "revolution".

Unlike brief extracts shown before, Chavez was heard talking this time, discussing regional politics and stories in Tuesday's edition of the Cuban Communist Party daily Granma.

"Look how Fidel is reading, without spectacles. Me, too, though with a bit of trouble!" an animated-looking Chavez joked with the 84-year-old Castro after the pair were seen strolling in a garden, presumed to be at Havana's Cimeq hospital.

Chavez, who has become one of the world's best-known but controversial leaders during his 12 years in power, disappeared from public view after surgery in Cuba on June 10.

The government says he is recovering fine after an operation to remove a pelvic abscess.

But his prolonged absence, and the silence of a man famous for giving hours-long speeches, triggered rumors he may have something worse like cancer.

Later in the 20-minute video, Chavez and the equally garrulous Castro were seen sitting indoors, both in tracksuits, having a detailed conversation about Latin American history.

"NATION COMFORTED"

Presenting the images on state TV, Chavez's vice president, Elias Jaua, said they were proof his boss was on the road to recovery. "They have comforted the nation and lifted morale."

Chavez supporters immediately Tweeted their joy.

"Think of all the people now biting their tongues as they watch the images of President Chavez talking fine, with the same energy and passion as always," said Eva Golinger, an American lawyer close to the president.

The new video footage does not definitively disprove the most extreme rumor -- that Chavez has prostate cancer.

And it left plenty of questions unanswered: Why has Chavez still not addressed the nation? If his surgery was straightforward and successful, why is he still in Havana 19 days later? Who is running the government?

The affair has highlighted the lack of an obvious successor for Chavez, who has utterly dominated Venezuelan politics while driving forward his "21st Century Socialism" reforms.

"Chavez's absence has led, whether the government admits it or not, to an ongoing crisis of governance and to a vacuum of power," said Venezuelan analyst Diego Moya-Ocampos.

The saga had been threatening to turn the local political scene on its head before next year's presidential election.

Were Chavez to be incapacitated, there would probably be a fight for power among his closest allies and the opposition might demand immediate elections, analysts said.

Given past violence, especially around a short-lived 2002 coup against Chavez, the potential for more trouble always lurks in a nation brimming with arms and political bitterness.

Some Venezuelans think the president has deliberately let the rumors grow over the last two weeks so he can smoke out the opinions and positions of both allies and enemies alike, before making a triumphant return to the rejoicing of supporters.

(Additional reporting by Diego Ore)

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Venezuela postpones summit due to Chavez's health (AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela's government postponed next week's summit of Latin American leaders Wednesday, citing President Hugo Chavez's health as he recovers from surgery in Cuba.

The decision to put off the July 5-6 meeting until later this year was announced shortly after new videos aired on state television showing Chavez chatting with Fidel Castro in Cuba, appearing lucid and talkative. Chavez's televised appearance broke a long post-surgery silence that has prompted speculation about his health.

"The president is in the middle of a recuperation process and extremely strict medical treatment," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

As a result, it said, Venezuela has consulted with other governments and "made the decision to postpone" the gathering of Latin American and Caribbean leaders on Margarita Island.

Chavez had been expected to host the summit on the 200th anniversary of Venezuela's independence from Spain. He promoted it as an event to lay the groundwork for a new regional bloc, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, that would exclude the United States and Canada.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said it will work with other countries to schedule a new date for the summit in Venezuela later in the year. It remained unclear how soon Chavez might be able to return home.

Footage of Tuesday's encounter in Cuba showed Chavez and Castro in a garden chatting amiably about old times and discussing a Cuban newspaper article about school uniforms. It then cut to them seated indoors having an animated conversation.

"Today's newspaper, today's front page," Chavez said, reading the headlines in the Venezuelan state newspaper El Correo del Orinoco.

They talked about socialism and laughed as Chavez recalled a visit by Castro to Venezuela years ago when they ventured down a jungle path through vines.

Chavez has been largely out of sight since the government announced June 10 that he had undergone pelvic surgery. He spoke once in a telephone call to state television two days after the operation, and appeared in photographs alongside both Fidel and Raul Castro that were published June 18.

A series of photos and short video clips were shown on Cuban and Venezuelan television Tuesday night, but the footage shown Wednesday was longer and included audio of their conversation.

Vice President Elias Jaua told Venezuelan state television that the latest images show that the 56-year-old Chavez is clearly getting better.

"The president is in the process of recuperating, and he has a right to recuperate," Jaua said. "He has the right to take the time necessary to recuperate."

He said Chavez was on top of his duties and worked on military issues and other matters Wednesday. He did not provide other details about Chavez's health, nor say when he was expected to return home.

Venezuelan and Cuban state television both aired the footage, which lasted about 20 minutes. It began with Chavez arriving and greeting Castro with a salute and the slogan "Fatherland or death, we will be victorious!"

The two stood outdoors with palm trees in the background, surrounded by attendants. Castro wore a blue track suit jacket and a red cap of Cuba's national baseball team, and Chavez had on a warm-up jacket in the colors of the Venezuelan flag.

They both read aloud from the front pages of official newspapers Granma and Juventud Rebelde, and discussed current events and moments in Latin American history such as the 1973 coup in Chile.

Chavez recalled a conversation with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega about that country's history.

He also reminisced about his days as an army paratrooper, saying: "The first time I jumped out of a plane was also the first time I flew in one."

After a cut, the two were seen walking and then indoors chatting with Chavez's daughters and a granddaughter, who also read from Granma.

Chavez has said the surgery removed a pelvic abscess, yet a lack of details about his condition has fed speculation in Venezuela that the president might be seriously ill.

Some of Chavez's political opponents were not convinced Chavez looked healthy in the latest videos, and said he appeared thinner than usual.

Jaua has led government events in Chavez's absence and the leftist president's elder brother, Adan, rallied supporters at a Sunday prayer meeting for Chavez's health.

Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, a Chavez ally, said before the announcement of the summit cancellation that he expected the Venezuelan leader to be home in time for the country's independence anniversary July 5.

Speaking on a television program in Uruguay on Tuesday night, Mujica joked that "Fidel Castro kidnapped Chavez to ensure his recovery."

"Chavez is very temperamental," Mujica said. "They operated on him and he needs about 20-something days of recovery. Fidel practically kidnapped him, didn't let him go, because he didn't trust that in Venezuela (Chavez) would pay attention to the treatments."

Mujica didn't say whether he had spoken with Venezuelan or Cuban officials about Chavez's condition.

___

Associated Press writers Peter Orsi in Havana, Fabiola Sanchez in Caracas and Raul O. Garces in Montevideo, Uruguay, contributed to this report.

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Leaders meet for ASEAN summit

The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) stand together for a group photo in Jakarta on Saturday.Indonesia chairs the summit this yearThe nation has been trying to mediate talks between Thailand and CambodiaThe border row is a result of a dispute over the ancient Preah Vihear templeThe Indonesian president urges member nations to promote peace

Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met in Indonesia on Saturday for a two-day summit expected to focus on efforts to achieve economic integration by 2015.

The meeting started under the cloud of security issues such as the Thai-Cambodia border conflict.

Indonesia, which chairs the summit this year, has been trying to mediate talks between Thailand and Cambodia in their dispute over the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

Renewed fighting in the area has prompted displacement of thousands on both sides. Fighting along the turbulent border has raged since last month as the two sides accuse each other of trying to seize ancient temples.

Much of the border between the two countries remains in dispute.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged member nations to promote peace.

"We realize that to ensure peaceful and stable east Asia region, we must ensure stability and security in the region," he said in his opening speech.

"History recalls that as one of the pioneers of regional integration in the world, ASEAN was established based on the strong desire to establish peace, building consensus, promoting stability through regional cooperation and integration."

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa met separately with his Thai and Cambodian counterparts on Friday.

Last month, both nations agreed to the deployment of an Indonesian observer team to the disputed area, but have not agreed on conditions set by either country. There are no indications so far that the leaders of both nations will meet on the sidelines of the summit.

Other issues expected to be discussed is Myanmar's bid to host the summit in 2016, two years before its turn to assume the chairmanship.

Human Rights Watch urged ASEAN leaders to reject the proposal.

"Rewarding Burma with ASEAN's chairmanship after it staged sham elections and still holds 2,000 political prisoners would be an embarrassment for the region," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "ASEAN leaders need to decide if they will let Burma demote ASEAN to the laughingstock of intergovernmental forums."

Myanmar was formerly known as Burma.

The regional group rotates the chairmanship every year among its members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. International pressure forced Myanmar to skip its turn in 2005.

Yudhoyono also stressed the need for ASEAN leaders to address the challenges of food and energy security.

"We must give serious attention and take concrete measures to address the soaring of food prices and world energy, which in turn will negatively affect the prosperity of our people," he said. "History shows that the rise of food and energy prices usually caused the increase in the number of people living in poverty."

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