Chavez going under the knife

The campaign trail for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is now going to include a brief appearance under the knife. Chavez said in an appearance on Venezuelan television Tuesday that he will undergo surgery some time this week to remove a small lesion in his pelvic region near where doctors removed a cancerous tumor last year.

"There is no metastasis. Just this small lesion in the same place where they removed the tumor," Chavez said, adding that the lesion was less than an inch (2 centimeters) and was clearly visible.

The lesion had been discovered in an unannounced trip to Havana, Cuba, on Saturday for tests.

Although Chavez did not say exactly when he would have the procedure done, he assured it was a smaller operation than the cancer therapy.

Chavez insists he is in good health and fully recovered from the cancer that was removed in four rounds of chemotherapy that took place last year in Cuba and Venezuela. He is scheduled to run for re-election in Venezuela's elections on October 7.

mz/msh (Reuters, AFP, AP)