CUBA: Cubans react with cautious optimism that Fidel Castro is stable after surgery

Cubans on Wednesday (August 2) reacted with cautious optimism to the news that Fidel Castro was in good spirits and stable after surgery. Days short of his 80th birthday, Castro issued a statement on Tuesday (August 1) playing down talk he might be at death's door after an operation to halt stomach bleeding that forced him to temporarily relinquish power to his 75-year-old brother, Raul. A state-run television announcer who said he had just spoken to Castro quoted the Cuban president as saying the Caribbean island was functioning well in his absence. "Of course it [the letter saying Castro's condition is stable] eases the minds of the people here in Cuba because we have a lot of faith in the great divine power, that God will make him well, because he is our guide, our father," said Cuban Milagro Arias. Castro, who last appeared in public giving a July 26 speech, did not appear on screen and there was no recording of his voice. He gave no indication of when he would be able to resume his government duties. "The important thing is that everything is working and will continue to work perfectly well in the country," he said. "I am in perfectly good spirits," he said. Castro said in a statement on Monday he had to temporarily hand over the reins of the country of 11 million people to his defence minister brother, sparking celebrations by U.S. Cuban exiles hoping for an end to Cuban communism. Raul, Fidel Castro's designated successor, has assumed the posts of Communist Party head, armed forces' commander-in-chief and president of the Council of State. Party officials expressed backing for the ex-guerrilla, who has spent decades in his brother's shadow.

ITN Source | August 2, 2006

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