Castro On TV Ridicules Death Rumors

The ailing Fidel Castro made his first public appearance in more than a month, walking and ridiculing rumors of his death in a video aired Saturday on Cuban state television.

The 80-year-old Cuban leader, who temporarily ceded power to his brother Raul in July following intestinal surgery, appeared thin and tired, but read the newspaper in a loud voice and was shown walking slowly but steadily in an unidentified room.

"They've declared me moribund prematurely," he said, holding a copy of Saturday's edition of Granma, the Communist Party daily newspaper. "But it pleases me to send my compatriots and friends this small video."

Castro had not been seen since mid-September when photographs of him receiving world leaders at a summit in Havana were released.

The Cuban leader said his recovery would be prolonged and not without risk, but that "I am coming along just as planned ... I feel whole."

He added: "I'm not the least bit afraid of what will occur."

The Cuban government has treated Castro's ailment as a state secret, and rumors that he may have died had intensified in recent weeks. He hasn't made a public appearance since July 26, a few days before he underwent surgery.

He called the death rumors ridiculous and insulting, saying they were the work of his enemies.

"Let's see what they say now," he said.

The video came a day after Castro's close friend and ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the Cuban leader was walking and taking trips at night into the countryside.

Castro, who wore an athletic red, white and blue jumpsuit, said he was trying to help those currently in charge of the government as much as he could while he recovers.

The rumors "motivate me to work, to fight," he said.

Bolivian President Evo Morales said Saturday that Castro would return to office "in two or three weeks." A top Cuban official had previously said he expected Castro back at the helm by December, when the country plans to hold a belated birthday celebration for the leader, who turned 80 on Aug. 13.

Raul Castro, the elder leader's 75-year-old brother, is currently acting president on the island.