Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

Fidel Castro send message congratulating NAM summit organizers
12-30-2006

LA HABANA, Cuba (AFP): Interim Cuban President Raul Castro delivered a message attributed to his ailing brother Fidel congratulating all who made the September summit in Havana of the Non-Aligned Nations a success, state news reported late Thursday.

Fidel Castro, 80, reportedly underwent intestinal surgery on July 27 and has not been seen in public for five months. He was last seen in an October 28 video.

During a meeting at the foreign ministry, Fidel's brother Raul "transmitted congratulations from the commander in chief to all those who contributed to the success" of the September 11-16 summit in Havana, the newscast reported.

The message "underlined the prestige that Cuba has reached in the world and urged (Cubans) to continue working with the same dedication" to guarantee Cuba's successful leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement, which lasts through 2009.

The newscast did not quote directly from the message.

Fidel Castro, in power since 1959, was absent from the NAM summit but did meet selected world leaders in the hospital.