Jun 3, 2007 11:03 am US/Eastern
Castro Appears Stronger In New Photos, Video
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HAVANA (CBS4) ―
A new video of Fidel Castro has aired on Cuban television.
Castro, who has not been seen by the public in months, was shown meeting with visiting Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nong Duc Manh.
"It was a meeting that ratified the warm ties that unite our nations," said an official statement read on the evening news broadcast.
Castro and Manh reportedly met for two hours, discussing themes "of mutual interest and especially about Latin America and the Caribbean."
Raul Castro and Manh signed a series of bilateral accords on Friday, including one that will make Vietnam Cuba's latest partner in oil exploration and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
The 80-year-old Castro has not been seen in public since it was announced last July 31 that he had undergone emergency intestinal surgery and has temporarily ceded power to his brother Raul, the Defense Minister, who turned 76 on Sunday.
Castro's exact illness and condition remain state secrets, but it is widely believed that he suffered from a diverticular disease, which forms sacs in the colon that can become inflamed and bleed.
In one of a series of essays he has been writing during his convalescence, Castro said he had undergone numerous operations and the first one had not gone well, explaining why his recovery has been delayed.
Nevertheless, senior Cuban officials have repeatedly said Castro is on the mend and the government has occasionally released photographs and videotapes during his recovery.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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