CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speculated on Wednesday that the United States might have developed a way to give Latin American leaders cancer, after ArgentinaÂ’s Cristina Fernandez joined the list of presidents diagnosed with the disease.It was a typically controversial statement by VenezuelaÂ’s socialist leader, who underwent surgery in June to remove a tumor from his pelvis. But he stressed that he was not making any accusations, just thinking aloud.
“It would not be strange if they had developed the technology to induce cancer and nobody knew about it until now ... I don’t know. I’m just reflecting,” he said in a televised speech to troops at a military base.
“But this is very, very, very strange ... it’s a bit difficult to explain this, to reason it, including using the law of probabilities.”
Chavez, Fernandez, ParaguayÂ’s Fernando Lugo, BrazilÂ’s Dilma Rousseff and former Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have all been diagnosed recently with cancer. All of them are leftists. Doctors say Fernandez has a very good chance of recovery and will not need chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Her diagnosis was made public on Tuesday.
Details about ChavezÂ’s health remain a closely guarded secret, although he now appears to be recovering and is making longer and longer televised appearances. Since his return he has often appeared sporting something of a younger, new look: a dark sports coat over an open-necked maroon shirt, and is hair is growing back after chemotherapy. It is far cry from the green fatigues and red beret that he became famous for wearing for much of his 13 years in power.
| They might want to loosen the necktie... |