 HAVANA (AP) - The ailing Fidel Castro appeared on Cuban state television for the first time in more than a month Saturday, looking thin and tired but walking around and ridiculing recent rumors of his death.
| If he's not holding up a copy of today's NYT I don't believe it. |
The 80-year-old Cuban leader, who temporarily ceded power to his brother Raul in July following intestinal surgery for gastric cancer, had not been seen since mid-September when photographs of him receiving world leaders at a summit in Havana were released. He was shown walking slowly but steadily in an unidentified room and reading a newspaper in a loud voice.
``They've declared me moribund prematurely,'' he said, holding a copy of Saturday's edition of Granma, the Communist Party daily newspaper. ``But it pleases me to send my compatriots and friends this small video.''
| "Which I made before I slipped into a coma. Ciao!" |
He said his recovery would be prolonged and not without risk but added: ``I'm not the least bit afraid of what will occur.''
He said he was ``coming along just as planned'' and he called rumors of his death ridiculous and insulting, claiming they were the work of his enemies. ``Let's see what they say now,'' he said.
| Say 'hi' to Himmler when you get there. |
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