Web posted at: 9/14/2007 11:38:22
Source ::: AFP
HAVANA • Holed up in deep seclusion, with no pictures of him released in
100 days, ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro has become a prolific writer,
discussing just about any topic except his health.
Since undergoing gastrointestinal surgery in July last year, Castro has
been convalescing at an undisclosed location and has not been seen in
the public, at least in the flesh.
His last appearance was in a video the communist state broadcast on June 5.
With Castro out of sight and with little reliable information about his
condition, speculation has swirled wildly, spawning frequent and
widespread rumours of his death.
But the 81-year-old still remains in the public eye through the
"Reflections of the Commander-in-Chief"-opinion pieces on politics,
sports and social issues-that have been appearing under his name since
March 29.
The 44th article attributed to the veteran revolutionary leader, accused
the US government of deceiving the world about the September 11, 2001
terror attacks in the United States.
The article, written on the sixth anniversary of the attacks and read
out on state-run television, claimed the Pentagon was hit not by an
airplane but by a missile, and said that data on the World Trade Center
destruction does not add up.
"We know that there was deliberate misinformation," Castro said in the
lengthy article titled "The Empire and Lies." The Cuban leader routinely
refers to the United States as "the empire."
In recent months, Castro's musings have touched on such diverse topics
as the political situation in Myanmar, the US electoral campaign and
Cuba's "heroic" victories at the Pan-American Games in Brazil.
Castro, a thorn in the side of the United States since he led the 1959
Cuban revolution, also likes to delve into the past, as was the case
with one article about an alleged 1984 plot to assassinate then US
president Ronald Reagan.
The one topic that does not figure in the writings is his own health.
After he underwent surgery on July 27, 2006, Castro, who has been the
target of several assassination plots in his life, said his exact
condition must remain a state secret.
While he "provisionally" handed power to his brother Raul, Cuba's
longtime number two, a few days after the operation, officials insist
the veteran leader is still consulted on all major issues.
Officials on the communist-run island have repeatedly said his recovery
is going well and, until June 5, released at irregular intervals
photographs or video footage, usually featuring Castro with a visiting
dignitary such as his friend and ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
"I don't have direct news about Fidel's health, but reading what he has
been writing, I realize he is a person who is in good health," Culture
Minister Abel Prieto told journalists on Wednesday.
"Nobody who is dying can make such analyses," he said.
"He is paying attention to everything that is going on, he is reading
dispatches, he is analyzing, he is evaluating."
Similar claims about the "commandante's" mental acuity have draw scorn
among the Castro-loathing Cuban exile community in Miami, and have done
little to halt sporadic rumors of his death.
Speculation reached feverish pitch last month as Spanish-language radio
stations cited rapidly swirling rumors the revolutionary leader who
defied 10 US president was no more.
Even Hollywood "gossip-gangsta" Perez Hilton, a Cuban-American celebrity
blogger better known for reporting the latest woes of the likes of
Britney Spears or Paris Hilton, said on August 24 that officials in
Miami were set to announce Castro's death.
"I believe there are people who confuse their desires with reality,
there are people who are obsessed with this," Prieto said in Havana
Wednesday when asked about the rumors.
He insisted, however, that the vast majority of Cubans hope Castro will
resume his full presidential duties.
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