Chavez aide: Fidel Castro alive and well

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, HAVANA - Fidel Castro is alive and well, according to Elias Jaua, a former Venezuelan vice president who said he met with the Cuban revolutionary leader over the weekend. Squelching rumors that Castro was at death's door, Jaua, an aide to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, on Sunday showed reporters pictures of the meeting on Saturday and said Castro (86 years) was in good health and lucid.

Jaua, who is running for governor in Venezuela's contested state of Miranda, said Castro accompanied him to Havana's famed Hotel National early on Saturday evening after their meeting. He chatted briefly with the hotel's general manager, Antonio Martinez Rodriguez, before departing.

Castro's long absence from the public eye has fueled blogger and Twitter rumors for weeks that he was dead or near dying. "Yes, he was here yesterday, the same old Fidel with his beard and pink cheeks. He was fine," Martinez told Reuters.

Castro was reportedly in a gray modified Mercedes van and did not leave the vehicle. Apart from the comments by Jaua and Martinez, and the pictures shown to the media, there was no independent confirmation that anyone had actually seen the former leader. Cuban television news reported the meeting and Castro's appearance at the hotel on Sunday evening.

"The national press will publish tomorrow an article of Fidel's, along with pictures of his meeting with the former Venezuelan vice president," the announcer said.

After resigning the presidency in 2008, Castro regularly wrote columns for the state press, but has not published one since June 19. His last few columns were widely viewed as so oddball that they raised questions about his mental state.

Only his Twitter account has been active but all the tweets are simply links in the press. Twitter accounts in the name of politicians and other people in the public eye are often run largely by their aides.

Castro's last known public appearance was in March when he met briefly with Pope Benedict during a visit to the Communist island. Although Castro appeared mentally sharp, he had trouble walking and was badly stooped.

Chavez, a close friend and ally, has said on several occasions that Castro is well. Last week Castro's son Alex said his father was exercising and doing fine. A letter from Castro congratulating a Havana medical institute on its 50th anniversary was splashed across the front pages of Cuban newspapers on Thursday in his first appearance in print in four months.

The letter and an accompanying story, which took up the entire first page of the Communist Party newspaper Granma, appeared to be an attempt to dampen rumors about his health. However, the letter, published with Castro's signature and dated Oct. 17, did little to end speculation over his health, with many questioning its authenticity.