Chavez begins new phase of cancer treatment in Cuba

CARACAS - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has finished the post-surgery stage and will begin the second stage of his treatment, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said Sunday.

Maduro said he will share more information about the second stage when he receives the official medical report. The Vice President said this in an interview broadcast by private television company "Televen."

Chavez missed the January 10 inauguration date due to slow recovery from the surgery that he took in December 11 in Havana, causing an uproar from the opposition.

Maduro reaffirmed that "sooner or later" Chavez will return to Venezuela.

"Meanwhile, we have told Chavez, his family and the Venezuelans that the team he has formed is governing and working with the people," he said.

Maduro added that the opposition's plan to cause disturbance by spreading rumors about the President's state of health were thwarted.

"There were plans trying put the country in chaos. The government has successfully put an end to these violence in 10 cities," he said.

The surgery on December 11 was the fourth of its kind Chavez has taken since he was diagnosed of cancer in June 2011.

In the post-surgery phase, Chavez was affected by a lung infection which caused respiratory failure, according to official information.