Castro Loses 41 Pounds After Intestinal Surgery
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NEW YORK — Fidel Castro said he lost 41 pounds and is still weak from intestinal surgery five weeks ago, but he insisted that he was steadily recovering.
The Cuban president did not however commit himself to renewing his leadership after handing over to his brother, Raul Castro, before the operation.
“I can affirm that the most critical moment has been left behind,” Fidel Castro said in a statement published in Granma, Cuba’s official communist newspaper, “Today, I am recovering at a satisfactory rhythm.”
The 80-year-old is easily more than 6 feet tall and, in recent years, has been on the thin side.
He looked especially gaunt during his last public appearance before he fell ill, at a July 26 speech in eastern Cuba marking the start of his revolution.
“All of us must understand realistically that the complete recovery time, whether we like it or not, will be prolonged. At this moment, I am not in a hurry, and no one should be in a hurry. The country is marching and moving ahead.” The statement was accompanied by seven different photographs of a gaunt-looking Fidel Castro, which did little to dispel rumors that the leader will never return to full control of the country that, until recently, he had ruled since the revolution of 1959.
Pictured in dark blue pajamas or a light blue hospital shirt, Fidel Castro was shown reading and writing. In one photograph, he was brandishing a proof of a new biography,”100 Hours with Fidel,” by the French journalist Ignacio Ramonet, which he is reviewing.
“But because of that work, I have not failed to strictly follow my duties as a disciplined patient,” the Cuban president said, “And in the coming days, I will be receiving distinguished visitors.”
Next week, he is expected to meet several leaders who will gather in Cuba for the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, a bloc of developing countries formed in 1961 to discuss economic and social policy and unite nations that do not form part of any big military alliance.
The government has not announced whether Fidel Castro or his brother will represent Cuba at the summit.
