HAVANA, (Reuters) – An official Cuban newspaper yesterday published a photograph of 83-year-old former President Fidel Castro apparently in good health and meeting visiting Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa.
The photograph of Castro, covering most of the front page of the Juventud Rebelde newspaper, showed a fit-looking Castro standing and wearing a white, short-sleeved shirt in his meeting with Correa, who began a private visit to Cuba a few days ago.
Castro, the leader of Cuba’s 1959 revolution that brought Communism to the Caribbean island, has remained out of public view for the last three years and in 2008 handed over the presidency to younger brother Raul Castro for health reasons.
Various photographs of Fidel Castro meeting heads of state and other visitors have been released outside Cuba and on the Internet in recent months. But access to the Internet is severely restricted in Cuba.
The Juventud Rebelde photograph of the former leader was the first published inside the country by state media since Feb. 17, when Fidel Castro met Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
A brief official note said Fidel Castro and Correa, who is in Cuba for a rest, relaxation and a medical check-up, talked for a number of hours on Friday about recent developments in their respective countries, Latin America and the world. While Fidel Castro, who turned 83 on Aug. 13, leaves day-to-day running of the government largely to his brother Raul Castro, who is 78, he remains influential behind the scenes and writes regular commentaries for state-run media.
Castro’s health has visibly improved in recent months. The brothers say they consult on all important matters of state.
According to accounts given by people who have visited Fidel Castro, he is living at home on the outskirts of Havana with his wife in a retirement villa that has a small gymnasium and pool.
