'Castro healthy, looks after state affairs'

Moscow, May 4: Cuban Ambassador to Moscow, Jorge Martinez today said Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who underwent intestinal surgery last July, was healthy and actively looking after state affairs.

''Fidel grows stronger each day and is gaining weight. He is actively participating in solving key issues on the daily agenda," Martinez said here at a press conference.

He, however, did not specify when Castro will fully return to power in Cuba, saying only that Fidel is a respected person in his country with big authority.

After the surgery, Castro, 80, handed over the control of the country, for the first time during his 47 years as Cuba's leader, to his brother and potential successor Raul, 75, amid speculation whether he will return to power.

Martinez also said Moscow will host May 29 a regular meeting of Russia-Cuba Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, which will be attended by Cuban Government Minister Ricardo Cabrisas.

He pointed out the cooperation between Russia and Cuba had been developing in all spheres, adding "the perspectives for further development in our relations have become significantly wider." The former Soviet Union for decades provided strong economic backing to Cuba, helping it survive more than 40 years of sanctions imposed by the US, its Cold War enemy, which sought to topple the Castro regime.

But the support was halted in the 1990s, when the Soviet Union collapsed.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov visited Cuba last September and reaffirmed that Russia would continue to push for the removal of US sanctions.

Fradkov said Russia would provide Cuba with a ten-year 355million dollar loan to be used to finance the delivery of Russian goods and services in 2006-2008.

The money will reportedly be used to modernize Cuba's energy sector and transport system, rebuild water conservation facilities and railroads, and design and deliver air navigation systems.

UNI