Ecuadorian President in Cuba to Visit Chavez

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, arrived in Cuba this Monday to visit his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez, who will undergo here a new surgery.

The head of state, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño, was welcomed at the Jose Marti International Airport, southwest of the capital, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodriguez and Quito ambassador in Havana, Edgar Ponce.

“We came to give him (Chavez) a hug on behalf of the Ecuadorian nation,” said Correa. “This is a gesture of solidarity with a brother at heart,” stated the Ecuadorian president.

Before his departure from Ecuador, Correa expressed through his account on the social network Twitter that “all the Patria Grande (Latin America) is with him (Chavez)”.

In the early morning hours of Monday, Cuban President Raul Castro received here the Venezuelan leader.

Chavez will be subjected in Havana to a medical treatment that includes surgery again, after detecting the presence of malignant cells in the same area of previous surgical interventions.

In an appearance on national radio and television in Venezuela, the president said Saturday that after being detected malignant cells in the same place where he presented a cancerous tumor, he will undergo further surgery.

Therefore, on Sunday he requested the National Assembly permission to leave the country.

Chavez said Executive Vice President, Nicolas Maduro, will be leading the country during his absence.