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Castro issues statement on improving health

Cuban President Fidel Castro said his recovery from intestinal surgery 10 months ago has been delayed because the first of several operations went badly, but now he is eating solid food and improving after "many months" of intravenous feeding.

The statement signed on Wednesday by the 80-year-old communist leader gave the most detailed report on his health since his Aug. 13 birthday, when he asked Cubans to be optimistic but not rule out possible "adverse news."

"It was not just one operation, but various," Castro wrote in the statement that the government sent to international media by e-mail. "Initially it was not successful and that had a bearing on my prolonged recuperation."

Expected to be published in state newspapers and read on radio and television broadcasts yesterday, the statement did not say when Castro might appear in public again or resume Cuba's presidency.

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

Castro stunned Cuba and the world on July 31 when it was announced he had undergone surgery for intestinal bleeding 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. He is widely believed to suffer from diverticular disease, a condition that forms sacs in the intestine that can become inflamed and bleed.

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

"I tell everyone simply that I am getting better and maintain a stable weight of about 80kg," Castro said on 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.

As he recovers in a location that has not been disclosed, Castro has been seen wearing a track suit in photographs and videos released occasionally by state media. He looked gaunt in the earlier images, but appeared more robust in more recent pictures.

"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.

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.
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