The most detailed account of Fidel Castro’s health was buried yesterday in one of his frequent newspaper editorials: He acknowledged several intestinal operations but said he was getting better.
The convalescing 80-year-old president, who handed over power to brother Raul Castro and dropped out of sight 10 months ago, said in the Communist Party daily Granma that he was fed intravenously for months but has recovered his weight to a stable 176 pounds.
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“It wasn’t just one operation, but various,” he wrote. “Initially there was no success, and this indicated a prolonged recovery. For many months, I relied on intravenous procedures and catheters for the greater part of my nutrition. I wanted to spare our people an unpleasant disappointment. Today I receive orally everything required for my recovery.”
Castro’s message, which was greeted with disappointment in South Florida and joy in Havana, did not say when he might appear in public or resume control of the government. But analysts interpreted his words as a signal that he will probably assume a behind-the-scenes role.
“It’s clear to me that he’s not coming back,” said Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, a think tank based in Washington, D.C. “The days of Castro being a galvanic force in the day-to-day operations of Cuba are over.”
Brian Latell, a former CIA analyst and expert on Cuba, said the ailing leader’s presence in Cuban politics has hampered the work of the transitional government.
“As long as he continues to loom on the scene, his successors will feel constrained,” Latell said.
On the streets of the capital, where life has changed little since Castro stepped down, many Cubans were overjoyed with the news of his health.
“People are anxious to see him with the olive-green uniform, but, as he explains, he went through a very serious situation,” said Gerardo Aguilar, 70, a barber who fought with Castro’s rebels in the 1950s. “We have to be patient and wait. The important thing is that he recovers fully. We need him alive.”
Ho Chi Ming Alvarez, a 33-year-old construction worker, said he anxiously awaited a public appearance by Castro. “He will appear at some point if not this year, then the next. The important thing is that he has gotten through the worst.”
In South Florida, many Cuban Americans reacted with weary indifference to Castro’s statement. After his transfer of power last July, many celebrated in the streets. But their initial enthusiasm faded as little changed on the island.
“I don’t think anything changed when he left power and I don’t think anything will change if he comes back,” said Yolanda Lopez, 45, of Weston, Fla. “Even if he dies I don’t think anything will change.”
Castro, who gave up smoking cigars 20 years ago, said in Granma that his greatest dangers now were his age and the abuses he subjected his health over the years.
“For now, I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, reflecting and writing about questions that I judge of certain importance and transcendence,” Castro wrote.