The Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde on Sunday released the first pictures of Cuban leader Fidel Castro taken after his gastrointestinal surgery, with Castro quoted as saying, ”I feel very happy.”
The Cuban leader, who turned 80 on Sunday, appeared alert and in good spirits and displayed no discernible weight loss.
He was wearing a red, white and blue track jacket rather than his customary olive fatigues.
Two of the pictures show him speaking on the phone. Another has him holding a newspaper with his own picture on the front page.
”I tell all those who wished me good health that I will fight for it,” the paper quoted Castro as saying.
Castro has not been seen in public since before July 31, when a news anchor read a statement saying he had temporarily ceded power, for the first time since 1959, to his brother, Defense Minister Raul Castro, following intestinal surgery. — AFP
