Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday denied a report by a Spanish newspaper that Cuban leader Fidel Castro is in serious condition after three failed operations and complications from an intestinal infection.

"He is not in a serious condition as some say, nor does he have cancer," Chavez told reporters in the Ecuadorian capital Quito.

"He said it's a slow recovery process not without risk. He's 80 years old."

Cuban authorities maintained their silence Tuesday after the newspaper El Pais cited two unnamed sources from the Gregorio Maranon hospital in the Spanish capital of Madrid as saying Castro was in "very grave" condition.

In a report published on its website, El Pais said, "A grave infection in the large intestine, at least three failed operations and various complications have left the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro, laid up with a very grave prognosis."

But the hospital's chief of surgery, who examined Castro in Havana in December, said Tuesday he stood by his previous statement that the Cuban leader was recovering from his ailments.

Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido denied he was the source for the report and told CNN any statement not coming from Castro's surgical team was "without foundation."

Silence from Cuban authorities

Cuba has released little information on Castro's condition since he temporarily ceded power in July to his brother, Defence Minister Raul Castro, until he could recover from emergency intestinal surgery, prompting much speculation and rumour in the country and around the world.

El Pais's report, which could not immediately be confirmed, was a rare detailed description from a major media outlet about Castro's condition.

The U.S. government has speculated that Castro could be suffering from cancer.

Some U.S. doctors believed Castro was suffering from diverticulitis, which can cause bleeding in the lower intestine from inflamed or infected pouches in the digestive tracts, especially in people over 60. In severe cases, emergency surgery may be required.

A statement attributed to Castro was released on New Year's Eve, saying his recovery was "far from being a lost battle."

Cuban officials told visiting U.S. lawmakers last month that Castro does not have cancer or a terminal illness and will eventually return to public life, though it was uncertain whether he would resume total control of the country as before.