Venezuelan President Huge Chavez said on Thursday night that he had a second surgery recently in Cuba, which successfully removed a cancerous tumor.

Picture taken on June 17, 2011, provided by Cubadebate, shows the president of Cuba Raul Castro (R), accompanied by the historical leader Fidel Castro (L), talking with the president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez, who is recovering from surgery in a hospital in Habana, capital of Cuba. [Cubadebate/Xinhua]

Chavez was speaking on state TV explaining his health conditions following the surgery earlier this month.

In his first TV address in three weeks, the Venezuelan leader confirmed that cancerous cells were detected in the tumor removed during the operation, which was done after a June 10 operation that removed a pelvic abscess.

It remained unclear which kind of cancer was involved in the cells and how long he would remain in Cuba for recovery.

There had been speculation in Venezuela about the health of Chavez over the past weeks.