CUBA: Fidel Castro writes first editorial since surgery

Record ID: 369907

  • Title: CUBA: Fidel Castro writes first editorial since surgery
  • Date: 30th March 2007
  • Summary: (BN12) HAVANA, CUBA (MARCH 29, 2007) (REUTERS) OFFICIAL GRANMA NEWSPAPER, WITH HEADLINE OF MESSAGE SENT BY FIDEL CASTRO TO THE CUBAN PEOPLE GRANMA AND NEWSPAPER "JUVENTUD REBELDE" WITH ARTICLE BY FIDEL CASTRO SIGNATURE OF FIDEL CASTRO AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE VARIOUS OF FIDEL ARTICLE
  • Embargoed: 14th April 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Cuba
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAAQA8H9JDE4O9UHB2MY98R923E
  • Story Text: Cuba's Fidel Castro published his first editorial since his July surgery on Thursday (March 29), signing his name to a scathing article on U.S. biofuel plans for Thursday's edition of the Communist Party newspaper Granma.
    The article -- e-mailed to the media in the early hours of Thursday and later posted on Granma's web site -- said nothing about Castro's state of health, but signalled that the convalescing leader is following world affairs closely.
    It was the latest indication that Castro has no plans to retire from the limelight.
    Castro has yet to reappear in public, however, having only been seen in photographs and video recordings or heard on the radio since his surgery,
    In Thursday's article, Castro said more than 3 billion people in the world were condemned to die prematurely of hunger or thirst from plans by his ideological foe, the United States, to convert foodstuffs like corn into fuel for cars.
    "This is not an exaggerated figure, it's more likely cautious," Castro wrote in the ruling Communist Party's daily newspaper. "I've been meditating quite a bit since President Bush's meeting with North American automobile makers."
    He was commenting on a proposal by the Bush administration to cut gasoline use by 20 percent by 2017, mostly by increasing the use of fuels such as ethanol, made from home-grown corn.
    Bush's plan, unveiled in his State of the Union speech in late January, also counts on advances in making ethanol from other sources such as wood chips and switchgrass.
    Ordinary Cubans on Thursday welcomed the sign that Fidel was taking a more active role in government.
    "It attracts my attention, it's a signal that already his health is very good, like all Cubans we hope he can get back on his feet as quickly as possible," said Antonio Borges.
    "What we want is for him to take control as he did before, because everybody feels bad," said Georgina Gomez.
    Another Cuban said she felt it was a sign Fidel's recovery was going slowly.
    "It means that he is recuperating in big steps, these are the same thoughts that Fidel has always had, this is not new," Maria Isabel Moya.
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