Chavez back in Venezuela after Cuba treatment

State television showed Chavez arriving at Caracas' airport and walking down the steps from the presidential jet wearing a track suit. He smiled and laughed heartily as he chatted with Vice President Nicolas Maduro and members of his Cabinet.

Chavez, who has been fighting an unspecified type of cancer during the past year and half, didn't explain why he skipped a Friday meeting in Brasilia with leaders of the South American trade bloc Mercosur. The Brazilian government said Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez represented his country at the meeting — the first since Venezuela became a full member.

Chavez traveled to Cuba on the night of Nov. 27 after announcing plans to undergo hyperbaric oxygen treatment in Havana. The Venezuelan leader has spent much of the past 18 months battling cancer in the pelvic area, and he said in July that tests had shown he was cancer-free.

While in Cuba, he kept a low profile and did not speak on television. Chavez last appeared publicly during a televised meeting Nov. 15 in Caracas, and his long absence renewed speculation among some Venezuelans that his health might be taking a turn for the worse.

Chavez appeared vigorous as he spoke on television upon his arrival at Caracas' airport after 2:30 a.m. Friday. He didn't mention his health. Chavez, who travels on a presidential plane, often arrives in Venezuela very late at night or early in the morning.

"I'm very happy, as you all can see, to be arriving here again," Chavez said. "Very happy."

Chavez noted that Thursday marked two months since his Oct. 7 re-election. Addressing Maduro and recalling other election victories, Chavez said: "Look at how we've come, Nicolas, from victory to victory."

Chavez hasn't given details recently about the hyperbaric oxygen treatment, during which patients breathe pure oxygen while in a pressurized, sealed chamber. The treatment's value is well-established for treating burns and some other medical conditions and for aiding wound healing and helping repair bone and tissue damaged by radiation treatments.

The 58-year-old president first underwent cancer surgery in Cuba in June 2011 and later underwent another surgery last February. He has also undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Hyperbaric oxygen is regularly used to treat infections that can develop after radiation treatment, said Dr. Igor Astsaturov, a gastrointestinal cancer specialist who is not involved in Chavez's treatment.