Updated

Venezuela's top diplomat says he plans to visit President Hugo Chavez in Cuba, where the ailing leader remains out of sight more than a month after a fourth cancer- recovering from cancer surgery.

Foreign Minister Elias Jaua says he intends to meet with Chavez to discuss Venezuelan foreign policy.

Chavez has not been seen or heard from in public since his operation in Cuba on Dec. 11, and was unable to make his scheduled inauguration for a new term earlier this month.

Officials have not given specific details about the nature of his cancer, though his vice president said Sunday he was optimistic Chavez would soon return home.

Jaua spoke Monday in Havana during an appearance with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez.