Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Friday that Fidel Castro is not dying of cancer, saying he had spoken with the ailing Cuban leader by phone and he is well enough to tell jokes.

"Fidel doesn't have cancer. I'm very well-informed … he's instructed [Cuban officials] to inform me of all the details of what is happening," Chavez said during a speech in Caracas.

"Nobody knows when Fidel is going to die," Chavez added.

"[Yet] we are very optimistic. Yesterday, I found him to be in a very good mood, well enough to compare my parrots to [President] Bush," Chavez continued, describing the way Castro had told him his pet birds were more talkative than their "northern neighbour."

He said the two leaders had spoken twice on Thursday and had discussed a series of new projects between Venezuela and Cuba, including plans for joint oil expeditions.

Chavez reiterated previous comments that Fidel's recuperation is going "slowly" and that Castro is fighting "a great battle" to regain his health after suffering what he described as a "serious illness."

There has been growing uncertainty in Cuba about the health of the 80-year-old Fidel, who has not been seen in public since he underwent intestinal surgery in July. He temporarily ceded his powers to his 75-year-old brother Raul.

His medical condition has been kept a state secret, and Cuban officials have insisted he is recovering. But U.S. officials have said they believe he is suffering from some kind of inoperable cancer and won't live through the end of 2007.