Chavez says he forgives those who desired his death

Caracas, April 25 (IANS/EFE) President Hugo Chavez said in a videotape broadcast Tuesday that he has forgiven all those who have desired his death.

"For those who have bad wishes for me, I pardon them ... I have great faith in what we're doing in this intense work against the disease that ambushed me last year... To live, to continue living and each additional day to continue giving this life to a people, to a revolution," the leftist leader said.

The new images come after Chavez, who has been in Cuba since April 14 to undergo radiation therapy, Monday quashed rumors about an alleged worsening in his health.

He said in the video that he had made a kind "of pact" with God "for the treatment" that he is "rigorously following to have supreme success" and that he can "continue stepping up the pace".

During his message the president read headlines from Monday's dailies and chatted with Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro.

Appearing on the videotape was his daughter Rosa and one of his grandchildren, along with Chavez, who was dressed in sports clothing and seemed to be quite agile.

Chavez commented on a survey that shows him with a lead of 19 percentage points over his main rival in the Oct 7 presidential election, Henrique Capriles.

The president said that "we're going to continue consolidating" that lead.

--IANS/EFE

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