The Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, has admitted he does not have the
physical strength to speak publicly as part of campaigning for upcoming
elections.
In an essay for state media, the man once famed for marathon public
speeches said: "I do what I can: I write."
Video footage released later showed Mr Castro looking thin but lucid
receiving Brazil's president on Tuesday.
The 81-year-old Cuban leader has not been seen in public for more than
17 months since stomach surgery.
In July 2006, he "temporarily" handed power over to his brother, Raul,
but must be re-elected to the national parliament in Sunday's national
poll if he is to remain president of the Council of State.
The 614 deputies chosen in the January elections will select the 31
members of the Council of State, whose president is head of state.
Mixed messages
The President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, startled some
observers when he told reporters on his way home from Cuba that Mr
Castro was in "impeccable health" and ready to resume his political role
in Cuba.
In the video footage aired on state media on Wednesday, Mr Castro
appears wearing his now-trademark tracksuit.
In the footage - the first seen since mid-October - he looks gaunt but
alert, telling President Lula: "I have felt quite well."
But in an essay printed in the state newspaper Granma on Wednesday, Mr
Castro says his health prevents him from going out to campaign in the
neighbourhood which has put him forward as its representative in
upcoming elections.
"I am not physically in a condition to speak directly to the citizens of
the municipality where I was nominated for our elections next Sunday,"
Mr Castro says.
"I do what I can: I write. For me, this is a new experience: writing is
not the same as speaking. Today, when I have more time to inform myself
and to meditate about what I see, I have barely enough time to write."
Mr Castro spends only a few sentences discussing his state of health,
using most of the rest of the article to criticise the US President
George W Bush.
He condemns capitalism as a "tree with rotten roots, from whence only
the worst forms of individualism, corruption and inequality sprout".
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/7192308.stm
Published: 2008/01/16 19:00:00 GMT
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