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Castro recovery:

Cuba optimistic



Members of the Cuban cavalry practice their parade drill at the Revolution Square in Havana, on November 20th, 2006, ahead of a military parade marking President Fidel Castro's 80th birthday, as well as the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cuban revolution on December 2nd. The date was picked because it marks the 50th anniversary of the day Castro and 81 bearded rebels -- including brother Raul and Argentine-born revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara -- returned from exile in Mexico aboard a yacht named Granma, launching a military campaign that would topple US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Castro turned 80 in August, but birthday celebrations were postponed because of a reported intestinal operation and recovery. -AFP

Cuba's vice president said on last week the government is "very optimistic" about Fidel Castro's recovery from surgery but gave no indication whether the ailing leader would be present at key celebrations next week.

Carlos Lage, speaking to reporters in the eastern city of Holguin, did not say when Castro, 80, might return to power he temporarily ceded to his brother, Raul Castro, on July 31.

"He keeps recovering, his health keeps improving and we are all very optimistic in his recovery," Lage said. Castro has not been seen in public since the operation for an undisclosed illness and looked frail in an Oct. 28 video released by the government.

U.S. officials have said Castro may have terminal cancer, but added that it was just a guess based mostly on the few photos and videos seen of him since the operation. The Cuban government, which has said Castro's health is a state secret, rejected the U.S. diagnosis, but has given no details other than to say he had intestinal surgery and is getting better.

Cuban officials have said the timing of his return depends on the advice of his doctors. Alfredo Guevara, long-time head of the Cuban film industry and a close Castro friend, told reporters in Havana on Monday the bearded leader's mind was still sharp. "The most important thing of being human, his computer, his mind, works and works well," Guevara said in a news conference about the upcoming Havana International Film Festival.

Cuba and the world are watching closely to see if Castro is well enough to attend a Dec. 2 celebration of his birthday in the city's main square, or events leading up to it starting next week. Castro turned 80 on Aug. 13, but put off a public celebration because of his surgery.

The Dec. 2 event, which will feature the first military parade in Havana in a decade, is also a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the start of the revolution that put Castro in power.

Reuters

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