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HAVANA - Cuban leader Fidel Castro looked healthier and more alert today in his first interview since life-threatening bowel surgery sidelined him from power 10 months go.
Castro, 80, talked slowly about a recent visit by Vietnamese leader Nong Duc Manh in the interview aired on Cuban state television.
He wore a red, white and blue track suit with a Cuban flag on his chest.
The interview was pre-taped on Monday by Cuban journalist Randy Alonso and broadcast on the government's nightly Round Table television programme.
Castro was forced to hand over power temporarily to his brother Raul Castro on July 31 for the first time since he seized power in a 1959 revolution.
The Cuban leader has appeared stronger in recent video images, adding credibility to official reports that he has almost fully recovered.
Castro underwent several intestinal operations that put his life at risk due to an undisclosed illness that is thought be diverticulitis, or inflamed sacs in the large intestine.
- REUTERS
