Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has overcome a respiratory infection he contracted after undergoing cancer surgery in Cuba last month, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas told reporters Saturday, Jan 26.

But the president still has some breathing problems and his treatment continues, Villegas said.

"The general evolution of the patient is favorable," said Villegas, who spoke in Santiago, Chile, where he is attending a meeting of European and Latin American leaders.

"The severe respiratory infection has been overcome, although there remains a certain degree of respiratory inefficiency, which is being treated," he said.

Villegas said that doctors have also started a "systematic medical treatment for the underlying illness, as a complement to the surgery on December 11."

Chavez, 58, has not made a public appearance since undergoing a fourth cancer surgery in Havana six weeks ago.

The government has not released any photographs of the ailing leader, and Chavez hasn't spoken on state television, CNN reported.