Castro recovering ‘very well,’ official says

Thanh Nien News, Vietnam

Wednesday, February 14, 2007 11:58:41 Vietnam (GMT+07)

A senior Cuban official said on Tuesday that Fidel Castro is recovering "very well" but gave no indication when, or if, Cuba's ailing leader might return to public life.

"He is recovering, doing very well and keeping abreast of everything," National Assembly president Ricardo Alarcon said, adding to other recent statements that Castro is on the mend.

"He continues to make progress. We shouldn't be impatient," Alarcon told Reuters before a lunch meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the British Parliament, Sylvia Heal.

Asked if Castro might reappear on Workers Day, May 1, a major holiday in Cuba, Alarcon replied: "That depends on how the recovery continues and what the doctors think."

Alarcon said Castro's absence was not a sign of declining health. "He could be perfectly well without the need to be giving interviews or making public appearances," he said.

Heal, a Labor Party MP on a four-day visit to Cuba, said Alarcon told her Castro continued to improve.

"He did not say whether he will (resume power) nor did he say he wouldn't either," she said after their lunch.