Venezuela has called off a regional summit due to Hugo Chavez's unexpectedly longer recovery from surgery in Cuba.
The cancellation was a big blow for supporters of the charismatic but authoritarian Venezuelan president, who had hoped return to host the July 5th-6th meeting, which coincides with the South American nation's 200th anniversary of independence.
Mr Chavez (56) likes to grandstand at big events and had been planning a national party, with various heads of state in tow.
His government said the meeting of Latin American and Caribbean leaders was off for "force majeure" reasons. "
"Comandante Hugo Chavez Frias is in the middle of a process of recovery and extremely strict medical treatment," it said.
The statement said the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) summit would be rescheduled for the second half of the year.
In a move clearly aimed at tempering rumours Mr Chavez is seriously ill, video footage was released yesterday showing the Venezuelan leader apparently back to his chatty self in an encounter in Cuba with Fidel Castro, his close friend and political mentor.
Mr Chavez's absence from public life has convulsed politics at home and sparked a frenzy of speculation over the future of his revolution.
Mr Chavez, who has become one of the world's best-known but controversial leaders during his 12 years in power, disappeared from public view after surgery in Cuba on June 10th.
The government says he is recovering after an operation to remove a pelvic abscess.
Reuters