Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Friday that the tracheal tube makes talking difficult for Chavez.

NPR: Photos Of Hugo Chavez Shown After 2-Month Absence

Chavez is temporarily having difficulty speaking after doctors inserted a tracheal tube, Venezuelan Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said that as the Venezuelan leader was breathing through a tracheal tube, it was difficult for him to speak.

BBC: Venezuela's Hugo Chavez in first post-surgery images

State officials said the leader was facing some difficulty speaking because of a tracheal tube that had been inserted to help him breathe, though the apparatus wasn't visible in the published pictures.

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Along with images of the puffy-faced Chavez came a government explanation for why no one has heard from the longtime president since his surgery: He's breathing through a tracheal tube that makes speech difficult.

NPR: Photos Of Hugo Chavez Shown After 2-Month Absence