Supporters of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez hailed the release of new footage of the socialist leader as evidence he was recovering from surgery in Cuba despite speculation he may have cancer.
Just as rumors about Mr. Chavez's disappearance from public view since the June 10 operation were reaching a crescendo, both governments put out video and photographs of him walking and chatting with revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.
"He's fine, you see?" said Eva Golinger, a lawyer who is a vociferous fan of Mr. Chavez.
The images shown on Tuesday night do not disprove the most extreme rumour — that Chavez has prostate cancer — but they give weight to the official line that he is simply recovering from a painful operation to remove a pelvic abscess.
Officials are hoping the 56-year-old will be back for July 5 when Venezuela hosts regional heads of state. The summit on Margarita island is timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Venezuela's independence from Spain.
"Let these images serve to bring peace to the people of Venezuela regarding the health of President Chavez," his gleeful-looking Communications Minister Andres Izarra said, showing the images again-and-again on Venezuelan state TV.
There were suggestions late on Tuesday that the July 5 summit might be postponed, with one state media employee telling Reuters their coverage plans had been put on hold after word that the president would not return on time.
Famous for hogging the airwaves and giving hours-long speeches, Mr. Chavez went to ground after his surgery in Havana, triggering a wave of speculation across the politically polarized South American nation he has ruled since 1999.
The affair has highlighted the lack of an obvious successor for Mr. Chavez, who has utterly dominated local politics while driving forward his "21st Century Socialism" reforms.
It had also threatened to turn the Venezuelan political scene on its head before next year's presidential election.
Were Mr. Chavez to be incapacitated, there would probably be a fight for power among his closest allies and the opposition might demand immediate elections, analysts said.
Given past violence, especially around a short-lived 2002 coup against Mr. Chavez, the potential for more trouble always lurks in a nation brimming with arms and political bitterness.
Some Venezuelans think the president has deliberately let the rumors grow over the last two weeks so he can smoke out the opinions and positions of both allies and enemies alike, before making a triumphant return to the rejoicing of supporters.
"This way of handling information is typical of totalitarian regimes. It creates uncertainty and rumours and can be used in a political way to benefit his return," opposition legislator Maria Corina Machado told Reuters.
"This is profoundly irresponsible."
In the images, Mr. Chavez looked thinner than usual but in better condition than photos released shortly after surgery.
He is seen walking, chatting and sitting with the former Cuban president, who is a close friend and political mentor.
Opposition politicians in Venezuela had been careful not to speculate too much in public about Mr. Chavez's condition, preferring to accuse him of abusing the constitution by prolonging his absence without naming a temporary substitute.
That left opposition-leaning media as the ones talking up the rumors of serious ill health with the most vigor.
"The opposition have tried to look serious throughout this, but Chavez will still come back spitting blood at the 'ultra-right' for wishing him dead," said one Western diplomat in Caracas. "It's classic Chavez tactics, probably learned from Fidel Castro's political book."
Venezuelan bond prices had risen this week as some on Wall Street viewed the possibility of a major health problem for Mr. Chavez as a positive development. The new images of him could prompt profit-taking when trading resumes on Wednesday.