Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos accompanied by his wife Maria Clemencia Rodriguez de Santos, waves to the press as he enters the Santa Fe Foundation Clinic in Bogota on Oct. 3, to undergo prostate cancer surgery. (Guillermo Legaria/AFP/GettyImages)Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is recovering on Wednesday after successful surgery to remove non-aggressive prostate cancer, according to reports.
Doctors for Santos, 61, told the Wall Street Journal that there were no complications caused by the surgery. Santos will remain in the hospital for two to three days and is expected to make a full recovery.
“The time has come. I am going in and I am optimistic,” Santos told the media before he underwent surgery, according to Colombia Reports. Santos said he “warmly thank[s] warmly the many Colombians who have sent me messages, solidarity and positive energy.”
When Santos announced Monday that he has cancer, he said he would still be able to perform his responsibilities as president.
His government will hold talks with with the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in the coming weeks to try to come to an agreement on how to stop a decades-long conflict.
Santos is one of many Latin American leaders to have cancer, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Brazilian ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Paraguay’s former President Fernando Lugo. Chavez underwent three operations since last year and is currently running for reelection.
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