Castro says he's in stable condition

HAVANA, Aug 2 (Reuters) Cuban leader Fidel Castro has said he was in stable medical condition and in ''good spirits'' after stomach surgery that forced him to relinquish power to his brother.

''I can say it is a stable condition,'' Castro said in a statement read out on state television last night. He did not appear on the screen.

''I am in perfectly good spirits,'' added Castro, who will be 80 on August 13.

Castro, who has led Cuba since 1959, handed over the presidency temporarily to his younger brother Raul yesterday after undergoing an operation to stop intestinal bleeding.

REUTERS VJ BST0444