Chavez: Castro is fighting for his life
Hugo Chavez is a good friend of Fidel Castro
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Saturday, 20, Jan 2007 12:30
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez says that Cuban leader Fidel Castro is fighting for his life.
Fidel Castro's health has been under much speculation since having an operation in July.
Details of his wellbeing have been a closely guarded secret among officials and doctors, but his condition has forced the 80-year-old to hand over power to his brother Raul Castro.
"He is going through a difficult situation but just like he says, the machine that they have to fix is 80 years old," said the Venezuelan leader, speaking at a summit in Brazil.
"Fidel is in the Sierra Maestra again, fighting for his life," he said, comparing his good friend's health struggle to his 1950s battle in Cuba's eastern mountains to overthrow the government.
"I wish he could live another 80 years. But Fidel Castro is one of those men that will never die," said Mr Chavez.
The Venezuelan leader refused to give further details about Fidel Castro's health saying that he was not his doctor, and would not give the details "even if I was".
A surgeon told CNN on Wednesday that speculation on Fidel Castro's health in Spanish papers were all based on rumours. Dr Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido said that only "the name of the patient, that he has been operated on, and that he has had complications" were true.
Dr Sabrido said the Cuban leader was making a progressive recovery.