Fidel (L) and Raul Castro. AFP FILE PHOTO

The statement on Fidel Castro's health came during a meeting Sunday between Raul Castro and visiting Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal, the daily said.

 Raul Castro, 75, informed Bilal of his 80-year-old brother's "gradual and satisfactory recovery," since he was operated on late last month and handed the reins of power to his younger brother.

He also said "absolute tranquility reigned" in Cuba and that the entire population was behind the decision "to significantly raise the war capacity and disposition" of Cuba's armed forces.

Fidel Castro who ruled Cuba uninterruptedly for almost 48 years announced in a statement on July 31 that he had undergone intestinal surgery and provisionally ceded power to Raul, his constitutionally designated successor and the Caribbean nation's defense chief.