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Fidel refutes stories on his state of health
“I
am progressing as anticipated”
PRESIDENT Fidel Castro has
personally refuted stories reporting a supposed
worsening of his state of health and has affirmed
that he is progressing as anticipated after his
operation.
On Saturday evening, October 28,
Cuban TV showed footage in which the leader of the
Revolution appeared talking and reading out aloud
headlines from the Granma and Juventud
Rebelde newspapers.
“Now, when our enemies have
prematurely declared me moribund or dead, I am
pleased to send out this short filmed material to my
compatriots and friends throughout the world, while
insisting – as I have been doing for a while now –
that my recuperation will be a lengthy one, which is
not exempt from risks,” noted Fidel, wearing a
tracksuit in the Cuban national colors.
“I am participating in many
things. I watch the main news on television and am
also participating in many of the most important
decisions with comrades from the (Communist) Party
and government leadership. I am doing everything
possible to support the compañeros, to be
useful, and I feel content,” he added.
He went on to show one of the
telephones via which he makes a number of calls
every day.
“Now let’s see what they say. Now
they’ll have to resuscitate me, won’t they? It
hasn’t bothered me, I have absolutely no fear of
what is happening, but they’re making total fools of
themselves,” he said.
I saw a newspaper shown on
Venezolana de Televisión saying ‘Castro agonizing,’
‘Castro dead.’ How stupid. On the contrary, they are
prompting me to work and fight,” he affirmed on the
video, in which he is also seen standing, exercising
his arms and taking steps.
“I am aware that the problems of
the world are very complicated, very serious, and
arising everywhere. I feel the obligation – as we
all should – to make a special effort to avert a
fatal disaster for humanity,” he warned, adding:
“I don’t want to say any more,
but as I watch all the news –never in my life have I
seen so much news—I have been able to closely
observe the panorama. And I am always fighting for
something, and fighting with optimism!”
“That’s why I asked you to come
here and take photos,” he concluded after
energetically exclaiming the historic slogan of
“¡Patria o Muerte, Venceremos!”
(Translated by Granma
International)
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