The regional leaders gathered on December 2 in Caracas as the 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, was launched. Unlike the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS), CELAC will have Cuba as a member. Cuban President Raul Castro and Brazil's Dilma Rousseff are among the leaders attending the Caracas talks.

When asked about the US exclusion from the grouping, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the US will continue to work with Latin American nations through the OAS.

The summit was to have taken place in July to coincide with Venezuela's 200^th anniversary of independence. The talks were delayed because Chavez recovered following surgery in Havana to remove a malignant tumor. The Venezuelan leader has not said what kind of cancer he was diagnosed with, but said he has beaten the disease.

Chavez has said previously he will be healthy enough to campaign and win re-election to another six-year term in 2012. Chavez, who is 57, has been in power since 1999.