BDFM Online
Thursday, November 30, 2006
HAVANA - Cuban President Fidel Castro said he would be unable to attend his 80th birthday celebrations on Saturday as he continues to recover from recent intestinal surgery.
Castro expressed his "great sorrow" in a letter that was read out on Tuesday on Cuban television.
"According to the doctors, I was not yet ready for such a challenging engagement," the letter said.
The celebrations had been moved to Saturday from August 13, his actual birthday, after Castro fell ill in late July and temporarily handed power to his brother, Raul.
Several days of commemorations are planned, including a concert, art exhibition and speeches.
The celebrations culminate on Saturday, which is also the 50th anniversary of the landing of the Granma yacht that carried Castro back to Cuba from exile in Mexico and marked the beginning of his guerrilla war, through which he seized power in 1959.
The nature of Castro's illness has not been disclosed. Photos and videos of one of the world's longest-serving leaders have been released since his surgery, but he has not been seen in public.
His last appearance was on July 26, a day before the surgery.
The last images released of him were on October 28, when he appeared on state television to put down rising rumours that he had died, given his absence from public view.
Those images showed a sarcastic leader who joked, "They're going to have to resurrect me, no?"
He warned in that appearance that his recovery would be long and "not without risks".
Cuban authorities have disclosed few details on Fidel's health, which is considered a state secret. Speculation has been widespread that he will be unable to return to work full time.
The secrecy surrounding his health is in no small part because of the perceived threat to Cuba from the US.
In his message released this week, Castro devoted the second sentence to Cuba's arch-enemy and its leader, President George Bush, although he did not name his rival.
"Currently, we are facing an adversary who has dragged the US to such a disaster that the American people are almost sure to prevent him from completing his presidential term."
Little of Castro's somewhat disjointed message was devoted to the cancellation of his appearance on Saturday.
However, he did thank the more than 1500 guests who had come from other countries to attend his birthday celebration in Havana.
"I was not yet well enough, according to my physicians, to take part in such a challenging event, so I decided to speak with you in this way," said the letter, which was read by a state television news presenter.
"I bid farewell with great sorrow for not having been able to personally thank you and embrace every one of you," it said.
Much of the message was devoted to the environment.
He attacked industrialised and wealthy nations for their hydrocarbon emissions and praised Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for his energy-saving programme, ending his message with the admonition that "it is our duty to save our species".
"Today, thanks to technology, the works and knowledge created by man in thousands of years are within everybody's reach, even if the impact of radiation from billions of computers and cellphones is still unknown," his statement said.
"A few days ago, the prominent organisation World Wildlife Foundation, based in Switzerland and considered the most important nongovernmental organisation in the world to monitor global environment, acknowledged that the set of measures implemented by Cuba to protect the environment made it the only country on Earth to meet the minimum requirements for sustainable development.
"This was for our country an encouraging honour, albeit one of limited world impact due to the low significance of its economy," the letter said.
"If the industrialised and wealthy countries succeeded in … the miracle of reproducing solar fusion on the planet, within several dozen years, devastating before then the environment with their hydrocarbon emissions, how could the poor peoples who make up the immense majority of mankind live in this world?"
About 5000 people attended Tuesday's gala event, including Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque. Absent, however, was Raul Castro.
Elizardo Sanchez, a political dissident living on the island, described the birthday celebrations as "pharaohnic" in scope, and tinged with shades of a farewell event. DPA, Sapa-AFP