Reply #32: Ailing Fidel Castro breaks public silence

[Robbien]

In his first live broadcast since falling ill last July, Cuban leader Fidel Castro called Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's daily radio talk show to say he was feeling "more energetic,"

. . .

"Hello there, illustrious and dear friend, how are you?" Castro asked Chavez at the start of his 25-minute telephone call on the Venezuelan leader's "Hello President" show. "What joy hearing your voice, and knowing you are well," Chavez replied.

. . .

The Cuban leader encouraged those concerned about his recovery to be patient. "I urge everyone to be patient, calm, and to be happy, if everyone is calm, the country keeps moving forward, which is the important thing... I also ask for tranquility for myself to be able to get my new duties done," he said. But "I cannot be talking every day and get into the habit of making news every day."

Still, Castro made a point of saying he was "very informed about the dangers of wars, climate change, food supply troubles, because as you (Chavez) have noted, millions of people are going hungry." The two leaders discussed global warming and other news, including Venezuelan issues.

Chavez joked that Castro has turned him into "a sort of emissary or bridge -- whoever wants to know how Fidel is doing comes here, calls me, and I always tell them the truth," Chavez said.

© Agence France-Presse
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http://www.spacedaily.com/2006/070228093051.e1wkl6vh.html