Castro backers taunt foes awaiting his death
Fidel Castro is having a party that has dampened his foes' plans to dance on his grave, supporters of the ailing Cuban president said as they celebrated his latest television appearance.
Cuban officials, as well as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, insist the video footage released this week clearly shows the 80-year-old revolutionary leader is recovering steadily from the surgery he underwent six months ago.
The Granma daily, which reflects the views of the ruling communist party, on Friday ridiculed Cuban exiles' reported plans to prepare celebrations for the day Castro dies.
"Adding to their bitterness, the latest video that shows the meeting of Fidel and Chavez rained on the fiesta they wanted to stage to celebrate the alleged death of the Cuban leader," the paper said.
It added that US President George W. Bush and the anti-Castro "mafia" in Miami "must be stewing in their own hatred" after seeing Tuesday's footage of Castro.
The bearded leader looked frail but healthier than in the previous images authorities had released three months earlier. He was at times shown standing, and spoke softly and slowly.
The six-minute footage showed Castro together with Chavez, who said the meeting lasted two hours and that the Cuban leader was as lucid as ever.
Following his return to Caracas, the firebrand Venezuelan leader again insisted Castro was in good shape.
"They said Castro was dying, but no, he was having a party," Chavez said on Thursday in a parody of a popular song.
"There are people who want Fidel to die ... but the doctor says what is obvious ... he's gained several kilos (pounds), he's walking more than I, analyzing, studying," Chavez told reporters.
After an uninterrupted stint in power from 1959, Castro handed over to his brother and Defense Minister Raul Castro, 75, on July 31, four days after undergoing intestinal surgery.
He dropped out of public view, except for a total of six videotaped appearances.
Authorities have kept a tight lip on the exact condition of the veteran revolutionary leader who has survived several assassination attempts and defied the United States for almost five decades.
Washington, which had said earlier Castro appeared to be just days away from death, reacted cautiously to the footage and said it could not draw any conclusions from the images.
But US officials insisted policy toward Cuba remained unchanged and that the US administration would continue to push for democracy on the Caribbean island, which is located just 150 kilometers (90 miles) off the southeastern tip of the United States.
The latest video footage came just a few days before the 45th anniversary of the US trade and economic embargo on Cuba that then president John F. Kennedy proclaimed on February 3, 1962.
A number of US lawmakers are pushing for the sanctions to be eased, while Raul Castro has called for dialogue with the United States, but the Bush administration insists Cuba must first move toward democracy.
Raul Castro, 75, is officially in charge pending his older brother's full recovery, though a number of Cuba-watchers are doubtful the president will ever be able to fully resume his functions.
"It is possible he will stay abreast of current affairs, but he won't resume his earlier role or the rhythm he followed when he criss-crossed the country," said Janette Habel, a Cuba expert at the Institute for Latin American Studies in Paris.
AFP
