President Hu Jintao on Tuesday sent a message of good wishes to
Cuban leader Fidel Castro following his operation to treat an acute
intestinal problem.
On behalf of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese
government, the Chinese people and himself, Hu, also General
Secretary of the CPC's Central Committee, offered his sincere
condolence to Castro and wished him a quick recovery.
Castro said in a statement on Monday that the intense agenda of
a recent trip to Argentina had "caused an acute intestinal problem,
with sustained bleeding, which forced me to undergo a complex
surgical operation."
The Cuban leader said in the statement, which was read out by
his secretary Carlos Valenciaga on the state television, that he
would be "out of power for several weeks" and had temporarily
handed the presidency and the post as the first secretary of the
Communist Party of Cuba to his younger brother Raul Castro, who is
the country's defense minister.
(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2006)
