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Castro Says He's Better, Weight Stable

Posted on: Thursday, 24 May 2007, 00:00 CDT

By WILL WEISSERT

HAVANA - A statement signed by Fidel Castro sought to reassure Cubans Wednesday that the 80-year-old Cuban leader was recovering well from several operations, saying his weight was stable and he was eating solid foods after "many months" of intravenous feeding.

In the most detailed assessment of Castro's health since shortly after he fell ill almost 10 months ago, the statement said: "It wasn't just one operation, but various. Initially it wasn't successful and that had a bearing on my prolonged recuperation."

Sent by e-mail to foreign journalists by the government, and expected to be published in state newspapers Thursday, the statement did not say when Castro might appear in public again or retake Cuba's presidency.

"Today I receive orally everything my recuperation requires," the convalescing leader wrote.

Castro shocked Cuba in July when it was announced he had undergone intestinal surgery and was temporarily ceding power to his 75-year-old brother Raul, the defense minister. He has not been seen in public since and his condition and exact ailment have been state secrets, though top officials have insisted he is recuperating steadily.

A January story in the Spanish newspaper El Pais described Castro as being in "very grave" condition after at least three failed operations. The Cuban government denied that report.

"I tell everyone simply that I am getting better and maintain a stable weight of about 80 kilograms (176 pounds)," Castro said Wednesday, adding that the greatest risks to him now are age and the effects of not taking proper care of his health over the years.

"No danger is greater than those related to age and health, which I abused in risky times," he wrote.

Castro added that after he stepped down, his "compatriots" spoke about a date when he might "appear publicly and dressed in my olive-green uniform as always."

As he recovers in an undisclosed location, Castro has been seen in photographs and videos released in state media wearing a track suit.

"I don't have time now for films and photos that require me to constantly cut my hair, beard and mustache, and get spruced up every day," he said, evidently referring to the preparation required for some of the official images.

"Besides, such presentations multiply requests for interviews," he added, an apparent reference to some of the international personalities who have visited him since he fell ill.

Life on the island has changed little since Castro stepped aside, and many Cubans no longer worry that their "maximum leader" is at death's door.

His comments on his health came in the second half of a statement about food production. There have been 11 written communiques signed by Castro in recent weeks, most of them lashing out at U.S.-backed plans to use food crops to produce biofuels.

"For now, I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, reflecting and writing about questions that I judge of certain importance and transcendence," the latest one said. "I have a lot more material to go."

Loyalists were sorely disappointed on May 1 when Castro did not make his traditional appearance at Cuba's annual workers parade.

Two weeks after he first fell ill, Cubans received a sober greeting saying Castro faced a long recovery from surgery and warning they should be prepared for "adverse news."

"To affirm that the recovery period will take a short time and that there is no risk would be absolutely incorrect," that statement said.

In an apparent reference to those earlier words, Castro said in Wednesday's statement that "my compatriots don't like having me explain on more than one occasion that the recovery is not free of risks."

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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