QUITO (Reuters) - Cuban President Fidel Castro's recovery from surgery is slow and has risks, his close ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday, but he denied reports Castro's condition was serious.
"He is not in a serious condition as some say, nor does he have cancer," Chavez told reporters during a visit to Ecuador. "He said (to me) it's a slow recovery process not without risk. He's 80 years old," said Chavez, who spoke by telephone with Castro earlier this month.