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Raul Castro makes public appearance on Fidel's 80th birthday
Miraflores Press / Alfonso Ocanda
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, right, greets interim Cuban President Raul Castro, younger brother of Fidel Castro, upon his arrival at the Havana, Cuba airport on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2006.By Patrick Lescot
AFP
HAVANA
Petroleumworld.com 08 14 06Raul Castro has made a brief public debut as communist Cuba's leader, welcoming Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to mark ailing Fidel Castro's 80th birthday.
With the iconic revolutionary leader Fidel recuperating from surgery, state television showed his brother Raul, 75, relaxed and smiling and in a warm embrace with the leftist Venezuelan leader, Cuba's staunchest international ally.
No audio was heard as Raul Castro greeted Chavez Sunday.
It was the first time the bespectacled Raul Castro was seen since his bearded brother handed Cuba's leadership to him July 31 officially if temporarily for the first time in almost 48 years.
Venezuela's oil has helped keep Cuba's economy afloat in recent years. And Chavez -- the only foreign leader here for the occasion -- fancies himself Fidel Castro's anti-US political heir.
In Caracas, a brief statement from Chavez's office said the Venezuelan leader had a "private meeting" Sunday afternoon with Raul Castro and Vice President Carlos Lage, adding that Chavez heads to Jamaica on Monday for a meeting with Prime Minister Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller.
Cuba marked Fidel Castro's birthday Sunday by releasing photos of the communist leader which erased any doubt that he made it through major surgery, though he warned Cubans to be ready for "bad news."
Fidel Castro said he was "happy" and vowed to fight for his health.
The world's longest-serving head of government had not been seen since he underwent emergency surgery and ceded power to his brother Raul, the defense chief, on July 31.
Since then, neither Castro had been seen publicly, fueling some speculation about the president's health.
With a message reading "I feel very happy," pictures in the Juventud Rebelde newspaper showed the revolutionary leader apparently alert after the operation to halt gastrointestinal bleeding.
"To all of you who wished me health. I promise I will fight for it. ... The country is moving forward and will continue moving forward perfectly well," Castro added.
The Cuban leader was even prepared for complications. "I urge everyone to be optimistic and at the same time always prepared for any bad news there may be," he added.
"He's 80 now -- that's big," said pepper vendor Rafael Campos, 76. "We were all expecting a message" from Fidel, he said.
"I think he looks great," said Dionisia Dominguez, 64, who jostled along with several Cubans to get a copy of the paper at a Havana square.
Though Fidel Castro has postponed official celebrations for his 80th birthday until December, the pictures were a pointed attempt to keep Castro center stage.
In the images, Fidel wore Cuban team colors -- a red-white-and-blue tracksuit jacket -- rather than his customary khaki fatigues.
Two pictures show him speaking on the phone. Another has him holding a copy of Saturday's copy of Granma, the communist party daily, with his own picture on the front page.
Castro has not been seen in public since July 26, the national holiday. Authorities announced on July 31 that he had temporarily ceded power to his brother because of the surgery.
It was the first time since the Cuban revolution in 1959 that he has officially ceded power, if only temporarily.
After his surgery, Castro had asked that his birthday celebration be postponed until December 2, the 50th anniversary of his return from exile in Mexico to topple US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.
Yet a scaled-down birthday bash went on, with concerts and other events across the country.
AFP 14 0751 GMT 08 06
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