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01/12/13 - Fox News - Hugo Chavez's VP Returns to Cuba to Visit the Ailing Venezuelan Leader

CARACAS, Venezuela -  With leaders of Argentina and Peru also traveled to
Havana saying they hoped to ask about the Venezuelan president's
condition, Venezuela's vice president flew yesterday to Cuba to visit the
ailing Hugo Chávez.

The 58-year-old president is fighting a severe respiratory infection a
month after he underwent cancer surgery in Havana, his government says.

"I'm leaving for Havana to continue that work of visiting the family,
meeting with his medical team, visiting our commander president," Vice
President Nicolás Maduro said on television in Caracas.

Cuba's nightly TV news show reported that Maduro had arrived, but did not
say whether he made any comments. The Venezuelan was met at the airport by
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, the show said.

SUMMARY

Maduro was designated by Chávez last month as his chosen successor. Maduro
said that while he is in Cuba, Electricity Minister Hector Navarro will
remain in charge of affairs as acting vice president. The vice president
didn't say when he would return.

Maduro's announcement came a day after the government gathered foreign
allies and tens of thousands of exuberant supporters to celebrate the
start of a new term for Chávez on Thursday, even as he was too ill to
return home for a real inauguration.

Chávez hasn't spoken publicly or been seen since before his Dec. 11
operation, his fourth cancer-related surgery since June 2011 for an
undisclosed type of pelvic cancer.

The government revealed this week that Chávez is receiving treatment for
"respiratory deficiency." Medical experts say that might mean he is
breathing with the help of a ventilator.

Maduro was making his second trip to Cuba since Chávez's surgery. He said
he would meet with Argentine President Cristina Fernández, who also was
visiting Havana, and hoped to meet with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala,
who arrived Friday in the Cuban capital.

Fernández arrived at the Hotel Nacional along Havana's waterfront on
Friday morning. Authorities have characterized the Argentine leader's trip
as a private visit and her foreign minister said Thursday that she
intended to meet with Chávez.

She told The Associated Press in Friday afternoon that she would lunch
with Cuban President Raul Castro and his retired brother Fidel. "And then
surely I will meet with the family of my companion and dear friend Hugo
Chávez," Fernández said.

Arriving at the Havana airport, Humala did not say if had confirmed plans
to meet with Chávez.

"Obviously I will ask, I will see, how is President Chávez's situation,"
Humala told reporters, saying he wishes Chávez a "quick recovery."

Presidents Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Evo Morales of Bolivia have also
visited Havana during Chávez's current stay there.

Peruvian analyst Nelson Manrique said Humala's trip was a reflection of
the president's personal friendship with Chávez, as well as political.

"There is a sector that would like Peru to be unconditionally aligned with
the United States, but this is more prudent politically to develop a
multilateral policy," Manrique said. "It doesn't seem probable that Hugo
Chávez will continue governing, but in any of the scenarios 'Chavismo'
will be a very strong force in Venezuela.

"It's convenient for the Peruvian government to maintain a relationship,
leave the door open, and balance the geopolitical relationship with
Venezuela as well," the analyst added.

Maduro was designated by Chávez last month as his chosen successor. Maduro
said that while he is in Cuba, Electricity Minister Héctor Navarro will
remain in charge of affairs as acting vice president. The vice president
didn't say when he would return.

Maduro's announcement came a day after the government gathered foreign
allies and tens of thousands of exuberant supporters to celebrate the
start of a new term for Chávez on Thursday, even as he was too ill to
return home for a real inauguration.

Despite opposition claims that the constitution demands a Jan. 10
inauguration, the pro-Chávez congress approved delaying the inauguration
and the Supreme Court on Wednesday endorsed the postponement, saying the
president could be sworn in before the court at a later date.

Jailed former defense minister Raul Baduel urged his countrymen,
especially the military, to resist what he called a "new constitutional
coup" by Chávez's allies. The former military chief, who is in prison
after being convicted of embezzlement and abuse of power, made the remarks
in a vaguely worded letter that was released Friday.

Baduel has insisted he is innocent and dismissed the case against him as a
politically motivated reprisal for his opposition to Chávez.

Though he didn't give details about what action he hoped the military
would take, Baduel appeared to echo the argument by opposition politicians
that Maduro and other Chávez allies are violating the constitution by
remaining in office beyond the formal swearing-in date.

The Supreme Court has dismissed that argument, saying the date in the
constitution isn't binding if an inauguration is performed before the
court rather than the congress, where presidents usually take the oath of
office.

Baduel also urged the governments of other countries "not to validate the
constitutional coup d'etat that has been set in motion."

A high-ranking military chief, Maj. Gen. Wilmer Barrientos, said the
military will respect and obey the Supreme Court's decision. He told the
station Union Radio that those who question the court's decision should
make their case through legal channels.

National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello, a former military officer
who is thought to have close ties to the armed forces, warned in a message
on Twitter that Chávez's supporters should be "on alert for actions of
violence" similar to bloodshed that preceded a failed 2002 coup against
Chávez.

Chávez was briefly ousted in that coup, then was restored to power within
two days with the help of military loyalists amid large protests in the
streets by his supporters.



Original Source / Fuente Original:
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/01/12/hugo-chavezs-vp-returns-to-cuba-to-visit-ailing-venezuelan-leader/