Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says Fidel Castro is in 'great battle for life'
by NATALIE OBIKO PEARSON
MUNICIPIO INDEPENDENCIA, Venezuela
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that Fidel Castro is in a "great battle for life," but said the Cuban leader himself gave him reason to be optimistic about a quick recovery.
Chavez's statement appears to be the most dire wording yet from a close Castro ally in describing what ails the 79-year-old Castro - perhaps the first by someone close to him that characterizes his condition as life-threatening.
"From here, let's pray to God for Fidel and his recovery, and he's fighting a great battle," Chavez said in a televised speech from the eastern state of Anzoategui.
Chavez said a messenger brought him word from Castro himself on Wednesday - "a message that filled me with more optimism, with more faith."
"Among other things Fidel told me... 'I keep saying Chavez, God help Chavez and his friends,'" Chavez said.
"I wrote to him in my own handwriting last night, in the early morning, to send it with the messenger who was returning immediately: 'You are fighting a great battle every day, all these nights," Chavez continued.
"I told him, 'Here we're with you every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every night of that great battle for life that you are fighting from your heart, from your soul, from your innards, from your greatness," Chavez said. "It's a battle, and I know, Fidel, that we're going to win it, too. We are prevailing and we will prevail."
Chavez described Castro's health troubles as an "ambush," coming so soon after Castro gave a three-hour speech in Cordoba, Argentina, and visited the childhood home of his fellow revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
Chavez said he and Castro hugged at the door of the plane, promised to see each other again soon, "and then suddenly the surprise, but that's life."
"It's life, biology," Chavez said. "And it's also 80 years that you've lived, Fidel Castro, and what an 80 years Fidel has lived."
Castro said July 31 he was stepping aside temporarily, granting his powers to his brother Raul as head of the government and the Communist Party so he could recover from intestinal surgery.
Neither brother has been seen in public since then. Details of Castro's condition, his ailment and the surgical procedure he underwent are being treated as a "state secret."
MUNICIPIO INDEPENDENCIA, Venezuela
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that Fidel Castro is in a "great battle for life," but said the Cuban leader himself gave him reason to be optimistic about a quick recovery.
Chavez's statement appears to be the most dire wording yet from a close Castro ally in describing what ails the 79-year-old Castro - perhaps the first by someone close to him that characterizes his condition as life-threatening.
"From here, let's pray to God for Fidel and his recovery, and he's fighting a great battle," Chavez said in a televised speech from the eastern state of Anzoategui.
Chavez said a messenger brought him word from Castro himself on Wednesday - "a message that filled me with more optimism, with more faith."
"Among other things Fidel told me... 'I keep saying Chavez, God help Chavez and his friends,'" Chavez said.
"I wrote to him in my own handwriting last night, in the early morning, to send it with the messenger who was returning immediately: 'You are fighting a great battle every day, all these nights," Chavez continued.
"I told him, 'Here we're with you every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every night of that great battle for life that you are fighting from your heart, from your soul, from your innards, from your greatness," Chavez said. "It's a battle, and I know, Fidel, that we're going to win it, too. We are prevailing and we will prevail."
Chavez described Castro's health troubles as an "ambush," coming so soon after Castro gave a three-hour speech in Cordoba, Argentina, and visited the childhood home of his fellow revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
Chavez said he and Castro hugged at the door of the plane, promised to see each other again soon, "and then suddenly the surprise, but that's life."
"It's life, biology," Chavez said. "And it's also 80 years that you've lived, Fidel Castro, and what an 80 years Fidel has lived."
Castro said July 31 he was stepping aside temporarily, granting his powers to his brother Raul as head of the government and the Communist Party so he could recover from intestinal surgery.
Neither brother has been seen in public since then. Details of Castro's condition, his ailment and the surgical procedure he underwent are being treated as a "state secret."
posted by Alice at
Thursday, August 10, 2006
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