Chavez in Cuba for Chemotherapy
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Cuba late Saturday to begin chemotherapy treatment for his cancer.
Chavez, who was accompanied by his daughter Rosa, will stay there an undisclosed period of time.
On Friday, he asked the Venezuelan National Assembly for permission to continue his cancer treatment outside of the country and was unanimously granted it.
But opposition leaders argued it was unconstitutional for Chavez to continue to exercise executive authority from Cuba.
Before boarding the presidential plane at Caracas' international airport, Chavez said: "It's not time to die. It's time to live."
He stood by Rosa on a red carpet leading to the plane as a military band played the national anthem and soldiers stood at attention.
"I'm saying goodbye for some days," Chavez said, "but in a deeper sense I'm not saying goodbye. I'm going to be in the same homeland, in the great homeland. And I'll be attentive every day, every hour, every minute to internal events and I'll be in permanent contact."
The 56-year-old firebrand leader was operated last month in Cuba to remove a cancerous tumor from his pelvic region. He remained on the Caribbean island for almost a month to recuperate before returning to Venezuela earlier this month.
Cuba, the Americas' only one-party communist regime, is Chavez's closest regional ally.
Source: Agence France Presse, Associated Press
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