|
Cuban
TV shows Castro interview
BBC News, June 6, 2007.
Castro
interview
Cuban President Fidel Castro has appeared
on TV in his first interview since undergoing
surgery 10 months ago.
In the recorded interview, the 80-year-old
was seen in a tracksuit and looking relatively
healthy.
He commented on a meeting on Saturday with
visiting Vietnamese Communist Party leader
Nong Duc Manh.
Mr Castro has not been seen in public since
July when he was taken ill and handed over
power to his brother Raul - who is serving
as acting president.
Fidel Castro appeared frail but fitter
than he had in the months immediately following
his surgery, says the BBC's Stephen Gibbs
in Havana.
Health secret
The Cuban leader insisted his health was
improving, and said he was following doctors'
orders on his way to recovery.
"A human being's health is always
facing threats, lurking dangers, but we've
been doing all the things that needed to
be done," Mr Castro said.
"All I can tell my fellow countrymen
is what I've already said, that I'm now
doing what I have to do, nothing else. There's
no secret. I can't put it more clearly."
The interview could be the first of many,
he added.
That could be an indication of the role
he expects to take in Cuba for the foreseeable
future, our correspondent adds.
The president's health is kept confidential,
but he is widely assumed to be suffering
from diverticulitis, a weakening of the
intestine.
On the streets of Havana some were encouraged
by the sight of their president.
"He looks very good, his mental capabilities
can be observed throughout the entire conversation
- they are effective, like they always have
been, despite his health problems,"
said one man, Ismael Gonzalez de Miranda.
Cuban officials say that Mr Castro is well
on the way to total recovery but there is
no word on whether he might resume his normal
duties.
|
