Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has undergone a fourth round of surgery in Cuba, after his cancer recurred despite a year and a half of treatment

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has undergone a fourth round of surgery in Cuba, after his cancer recurred despite a year and a half of treatment.

In a statement broadcast on Venezuelan television and radio on Tuesday, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas, said the surgery was underway and Chavez had "absolute confidence he will overcome the obstacles that have emerged in the path of life," The Associated Press reported.

The 58-year-old leader traveled to Havana on Monday.

"The medical team has transmitted its optimism about the success of this operation, which is part of the treatment plan that comandante Hugo Chavez is following to recover his health," Villegas said in an earlier statement.

Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa visited Chavez on Monday, and called the surgery "a very delicate operation." "He is going through one of the most difficult moments of his life, this dear friend, colleague and Latin American leader, comandante Chavez," Correa said. "Truly, he is a historic president and let's hope he comes through this health problem totally reestablished," the Ecuadoran president added.