(AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez suffered bleeding during his cancer surgery in Cuba but was recovering from the complications.

A statement by the Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Chavez suffered "bleeding that required the use of corrective measures" during Tuesday's surgery.

It said those measures allowed for the "opportune control" of the bleeding.

Villegas also said that Chavez was going through "a progressive and favorable recovery of the normal values of his vital signs."

He expressed hope about the president returning home for his January 10 swearing-in for a new six-year term.

However, he stated in a written message on a government website that if Chavez doesn't make it, "our people should be prepared to understand it."

Chavez underwent his fourth cancer-related operation in Cuba, after announcing that tests had found the illness had returned despite previous operations, chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

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