Chavez says Castro is recovering

Caracas (Venezuela): Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez rejected rumors that his ailing ally, Cuban leader Fidel Castro, has lost his mental sharpness while recovering from intestinal surgery.

"I received a letter (and) I want to make it public before the world because some say that Fidel is dying, that he's a vegetable, no," said Chavez, rejecting the rumours about Castro during a government event in western Zulia state.

Chavez, a leftist former paratrooper seeking re-election on December 3, said Castro could be preparing to return to power, but the Venezuelan leader didn't provide any details.

Chavez has kept close tabs on Castro's health since the Cuban leader underwent surgery and temporarily ceded power to his brother, 75-year-old Defence Minister Raul Castro, on July 31. Chavez visited Castro in Havana to mark his birthday on August 13.

The specifics of Castro's ailment and the nature of his surgery have been treated as a state secret.