By KEJAL VYAS

CARACAS–Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez spoke Monday, appearing for the first time with his hair shaved off, as he undergoes a second round of chemotherapy.

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Miraflores Palace/Reuters

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez appears with a new hair cut due to his cancer treatment during a cabinet meeting in Caracas.

"This is my new look," Mr. Chávez said in broken English during a televised appearance from the Miraflores presidential palace.

The cancer-stricken leader last week joked that he would soon resemble famed Hollywood actor Yul Brynner, calling himself "Yul Chávez."

After a swearing-in ceremony for new ministers, Mr. Chávez again blasted what he called "the ultra-right's" speculation over his health and reiterated that no new malignant cancer cells had been detected in his body.

The firebrand leader has yet to state what kind of cancer he has but has said that a baseball-size tumor was removed from his body during a surgery in Cuba on June 20.

President Chávez is currently undergoing his second phase of chemotherapy and has said that he will likely need a third round.

In his TV appearance Monday, Mr. Chávez also condemned the attacks on Libya and affirmed his full support of Col. Moammar Gadhafi. "Viva Libya! Viva Moammar al-Gadhafi!" the socialist leader said.

Venezuelan officials met with Libyan Finance Secretary Abdul Hafid Al Zleitni and Communications Secretary Mohamed Zydan, the foreign ministry said. The statement said both parties discussed possible scenarios that could result from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's airstrikes on Libya but gave few more details.

Write to Kejal Vyas at kejal.vyas@dowjones.com