Cuban president Fidel Castro announces official retirement
Cuban leader Fidel Castro announces resignation as president and commander in chief - This file is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Brazil License.
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Tuesday, 19, Feb 2008 07:58
The Cuban leader Fidel Castro has announced his resignation as president and commander in chief, according to the official national press agency.
In a letter published on the online version of the Communist party paper Granma, Mr Castro confirms he will not return to the presidency following a lengthy period of illness.
He writes: "To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honour in recent days of electing me a member of parliament, [I] communicate to you that I neither will aspire to nor will I accept - I repeat - I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief."
After undergoing intestinal surgery in July 2006, Mr Castro handed temporary power to his brother Raul and has been rarely seen in public since.
Though his health has remained a state secret, a December interview indicated that he was considering stepping down, as he admitted his duty was "not to cling to office".
Having taken control of Cuba following the 1959 Communist revolution, Mr Castro, 81, is the world's longest-serving head of government.