HAVANA - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned to Cuba to visit his convalescing friend and ally Fidel Castro, spending six hours with the 80-year-old leader he considers a guiding light for the Latin American left.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez shows a map of the Apuere State during an interview with Associated Press at a ranch in Elorza, Venezuela, Saturday, June 9, 2007. [AP]

State television reported the pair shared an "emotional" meeting Tuesday, discussing Venezuela-Cuba relations, climate change and a socialist-leaning regional pact they created. Chavez was to unveil a statue of Venezuelan independence hero Francisco de Miranda on Wednesday morning and stop by a nearby college.

Politics aside, the two men clearly share a deep personal affection, with Chavez visiting Castro more than any other foreign leader since he fell gravely ill in late July.

Chavez, 52, spoke fondly of his friend during an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on Saturday. He brought up memories of their many conversations, recalled greeting crowds of supporters together in Venezuela and also talked about Castro while condemning as unjust the execution of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

"Fidel Castro told me one day, after they captured Saddam there in that hole where they found him... 'Chavez, look at how they captured Saddam. He should have died fighting. If they invade Cuba, I'm going first, and you will see what you do. You're also on the list. But in any case we cannot be captured in a hole,'" Chavez recalled in the interview with the AP.

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