Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez says former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, not seen in public for nearly three years, has been for a walk in Havana.

Chávez, who visited Cuba a week ago, said in comments carried by Venezuelan state TV that Castro had seemed in "very, very good" shape.

Media in Cuba have neither reported nor confirmed Chavez's claim.

Castro, 82, has not made a public appearance since undergoing gastric surgery in July 2006. He handed over presidential duties in 2006, and formally announced his retirement as president in February 2008, allowing his younger brother Raul to take over as head of state.

The last photos of him were released in Chile, following a visit to Cuba by Chilean president Michelle Bachelet.