CARACAS, July 30 (Itar-Tass) - Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa revealed in a televised interview Monday Fidel Castro told his last December that their closest political ally, the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez would most probably die within a few months.
Correa said it in an interview with the Telesur channel.
Last December, Chavez who was struggling with cancer went to Cuba where he was given the last surgery. March 5, 2013, he died.
On the eve of the surgery, Correa made a trip to Cuba and visited Chavez at hospital.
“He looked very well and was in a good mood,” he said, adding that he met with Castro after visiting Chavez and the Cuban leader told him that their Venezuelan associate would most likely go aloft in a few months’ time.
“Fidel said the situation was really difficult and Chavez was left to live only a few months more and we should get ready for a heavy blow,” Correa said. He added to it that “everything was to be kept absolutely confidential.”
Chavez was given the first surgery to ablate a malignant tumor in June 2011. This was followed by four courses of chemotherapy, upon the completion of which he said publicly he had raised an upper hand in the struggle with cancer.
However, a control checkup several months later exposed he had developed a new tumor in the pelvic zone. It was eliminated at the end of February 2012 and Chavez continued with a course of radio therapy, to take which he made regular trips to Cuba.
He again told reporters in early July 2012 that he was fully free from cancer.
Nonetheless, Chavez made a public confession after the victory in a presidential election in October 2012 he would have to take one more surgery.
He left for Havana at the beginning of December.