Venezuelan president has surgery in Cuba

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez had a successful operation on Friday in Cuba for an abscess in the pelvis discovered on the last stage of this week's tour around Latin America, the government said. "With his knee injury almost totally better, President Chavez suffered a new health problem, which was immediately assessed by his medical team," said a statement by the Venezuelan government read on state TV. Surgery to correct the pelvic problem was carried out in the morning in Havana "with satisfactory results for the health of Commander Hugo Chavez, who is recovering with his family, medical team and part of the government team," it added. Chavez, 56, will stay on in Cuba for a few days until he is in a condition to return, the statement said.