Raul Castro Sighted

Hugo Chavez slighted? It appears that Raul Castro briefly appeared in public - sort of - with Hugo Chavez. But it is not at all certain that Chavez actually got to visit Fidel Castro. That was his reason for visiting Cuba in the first place.

With the iconic revolutionary leader Fidel recuperating from surgery, state television showed Raul Castro, 75, appearing relaxed and smiling, in a warm embrace with the leftist Venezuelan leader who is Cuba's staunchest international ally.

No audio was heard as Raul Castro greeted Chavez, also all smiles, in a red shirt.

It was the first time the bespectacled Raul Castro was seen since his bearded brother handed Cuba's leadership to him July 31 officially if temporarily for the first time in almost 48 years.

Venezuela's oil has helped keep Cuba's economy afloat in recent years. And Chavez — the only foreign leader here for the occasion — fancies himself Fidel Castro's anti-US political heir.

Cuba meanwhile marked Fidel Castro's birthday by releasing photos of the communist leader which erased any doubt that he made it through major surgery, though he warned Cubans to be ready for "bad news."

Fidel Castro said he was "happy" and vowed to fight for his health.

The world's longest-serving head of government had not been seen since he underwent emergency surgery and ceded power to his brother Raul, the defense chief, on July 31.

Since then, neither Castro had been seen publicly, fueling some speculation about the president's health.

With a message reading "I feel very happy," pictures in the Juventud Rebelde newspaper showed the revolutionary leader apparently alert after the operation to halt gastrointestinal bleeding.

"To all of you who wished me health. I promise I will fight for it. … The country is moving forward and will continue moving forward perfectly well," Castro added.

The Miami newspaper El Nuevo Herald has reported Castro underwent a colostomy.

And Castro sounded prepared for complications. "I urge everyone to be optimistic and at the same time always prepared for any bad news there may be," he added.

So we have silent movies of Raul and still pictures of Fidel. It is still not at all obvious what is really going on down there.