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
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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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