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Castro Mocks Rumors Of Death

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By WILL WEISSERT, The Associated Press

Published: September 22, 2007

HAVANA - Fidel Castro looked alert and healthier during an hourlong interview taped and aired on Cuban television Friday, responding to rumors of his death with a defiant, 'Here I am.'

In the first video of the ailing 81-year-old revolutionary seen in more than three months, a pale Castro stayed seated the entire time, spoke slowly and softly, and didn't always look the interviewer in the eye. But he appeared to be thinking clearly.

The Cuban leader said he thought the Bush administration could go to war with Iran and bemoaned the high cost of the war in Iraq, but provided no new details about his health, except to say, 'Well, here I am.'

Mocking rumors of his death that have circulated in Miami and elsewhere in the United States, he said, 'They say 'I was dying' and 'if I die' and 'I will die the day after tomorrow' or something.'

'Nobody knows the day they are going to die,' said Castro, who was forced to cede power to his younger brother Raul in July 2006 after emergency intestinal surgery. He has not appeared in public since.

Early on in the interview, Castro often trailed off mid-sentence, and needed some prompting by the interviewer. He had bags under his eyes, sunken cheeks and his thin, gray beard looked as wispy as ever. But he appeared to get stronger and more comfortable as time passed.

The Cuban leader wore a red, blue and white jumpsuit with 'F. Castro' in small block letters.

'They criticize me' for wearing the tracksuit, Castro joked. But he said he was 'not looking for anything elegant.'

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