Cuba's Castro says he recovering, feeling stronger

CARACAS, Feb 28 (Reuters) Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who has not appeared in public since undergoing stomach surgery last year, said he was recovering and feeling stronger.

''I am gaining ground,'' he said yesterday on a live Venezuelan radio show with President Hugo Chavez, adding he felt he had more ''energy and more strength.'' It was the first time the Cuban leader has spoken in a live broadcast since his emergency operation last year.

Chavez, who calls Castro his mentor, has frequently visited him during his convalescence and images of the meetings have been broadcast afterward. The last such meeting was in January.

REUTERS SBA RN0618