First photos of Fidel since his surgery two weeks ago.
Pics published today by Juventud Rebelde
www.juventudrebelde.cu http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/cuba/2006-08-13/me-siento-muy-feliz/ 
This is one of four photographs published Sunday Aug. 13, 2006 by Cuba's Communist Youth newspaper's online edition Juventud Rebelde proporting to show The first photographs of Fidel Castro since his illness two weeks ago. Castro holds a copy of the Saturday Aug. 12, 2006 edition of Granma, the Communist Party newspaper. The headline reads "Absolved by history." The Associated Press cannot verify the authenticity or the date when these photographs were shot. (AP Photo/HO) (AP) 
and text in spanish of his message :
Queridos compatriotas y amigos de Cuba y del resto del mundo:
Ya hoy día 13 he arribado a los 80 años de edad.
Decir que la estabilidad objetiva ha mejorado considerablemente no es inventar una mentira. Afirmar que el período de recuperación durará poco y que no existe ya riesgo alguno, sería absolutamente incorrecto.
Les sugiero a todos ser optimistas, y a la vez estar siempre listos para enfrentar cualquier noticia adversa.
Al pueblo de Cuba, infinita gratitud por su cariñoso apoyo. El país marcha y seguirá marchando perfectamente bien.
A mis compañeros de lucha, eterna gloria por resistir y vencer al imperio, demostrando que un mundo mejor es posible.
Hoy, 13 de agosto, me siento muy feliz.
A todos los que desearon mi salud, les prometo que lucharé por ella.
Pics can also be viewed at their original site:
http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/UserFiles/Image/2006/agosto/fidel-castro/fidel-castro-1.jpg http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/UserFiles/Image/2006/agosto/fidel-castro/fidel-castro-2.jpg http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/UserFiles/Image/2006/agosto/fidel-castro/fidel-castro-3.jpg http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/UserFiles/Image/2006/agosto/fidel-castro/fidel-castro-4.jpg ===============================================================================
And the Associated Press report of the photos of Fidel.
By ANITA SNOW
The Associated Press
Sunday, August 13, 2006; 6:30 AM
HAVANA -- The first photographs of Fidel Castro since his illness two weeks ago were published Sunday in Cuba's Communist Youth newspaper with a statement by the Cuban leader saying on his 80th birthday "I feel very happy."
"For all those who care about my health, I promise to fight for it," said the statement attributed to Castro in Juventud Rebelde newspaper.
"To the people of Cuba, infinite gratitude for your loving support. The country is marching on and will continue marching on perfectly well."
The online edition of the newspaper also published four photographs of Castro wearing what looked like a white and red running suit. In two of them he is talking on the telephone and in another is showing a copy of the Saturday edition of Granma, the Communist Party newspaper.
On Saturday, Granma carried a report saying that Castro was walking and talking again, and even working a bit in the most optimistic report yet since intestinal surgery forced him to step aside as president.
Meanwhile, his close friend and political ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said Saturday that he would visit the Cuban leader.
"Tomorrow I will be with Fidel celebrating his 80th birthday," Chavez said at a news conference in Caracas after declaring his candidacy for re-election in December.
"I'll take him a nice gift, a good cake, and we'll be celebrating the 80 years of this great figure of America and our history," Chavez said.
Chavez also visited Castro in October 2004, two weeks after a fall that shattered the Cuban leader's kneecap and broke his right arm. A picture of the pair on the front page of Granma newspaper was the first image published of Castro after the accident.
Saturday's article in the Granma newspaper _ though brief _ was the most detailed statement Cuba's government has issued since Castro announced July 31 that he was temporarily ceding his powers to his younger brother Raul, No. 2 in the government.
Fidel Castro said his condition during his recovery would be treated as a "state secret," so as not to give any advantage to his enemies in the United States.
"Firm Like a Caguairan," the Granma headline read, comparing Castro to a hardwood tropical tree native to eastern Cuba.
"A friend tells us that just a few hours ago, upon visiting the Comandante who was briefly dispatching some business, he witnessed some good news that he enthusiastically summed up in one sentence: 'The Caguairan has risen,'" the paper said in a three-paragraph report.
"He said that he could appreciate how the Chief of the Revolution, after receiving a little physical therapy, took some steps in his room and then, seated in a chair, conversed animatedly," the report said, without identifying the friend.
While the news of Castro's progress will surely be embraced by his supporters, South Florida's Cuban exile community used it to criticize the island's government.
"Sadly, Granma's optimism of Fidel Castro's health is in sharp contrast to political prisoners who are rotting in Cuban prisons for simply disagreeing (with him)," said Alfredo Mesa, spokesman for the Cuban American National Foundation. "Dead or alive, change in Cuba must come now. The era of Fidel Castro must end."
Despite the optimistic assessment of Castro's progress, few believed that he would be making a public appearance on his 80th birthday Sunday.
No official events had been announced for Sunday, although Cuban musicians were staging a Saturday night concert in support of Castro and his government.
Latin American intellectuals had planned several days of parties, concerts and conferences on the legacy of Cuba's "Maximum Leader." But Castro was expected to spend the weekend in recovery. Celebrations have been postponed until Dec. 2, the 50th anniversary of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
Cubans have cultivated a myth over the last half-century that Castro is invincible, but in recent days have had to face the reality that their leader is an elderly man who will someday die.
The Cuban president blamed an unspecified intestinal problem brought on by a heavy work schedule. He recently traveled to Argentina for a summit of the trade group Mercosur and gave two long speeches in eastern Cuba on July 26, the last time he was seen in public.
Associated press thru
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/13/AR2006081300161.html?nav=ft_world
Topic: Re: First Photos of Fidel after Surgery (Read 2211 times)