Venezuela's Chavez: 'Fidel Castro is fighting for his life'

Jan 20, 2007, 15:35 GMT

Rio de Janeiro - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, one of Cuban leader Fidel Castro's closest political allies, has said that Castro is seriously ill, news reports said Saturday.

'Fidel Castro is fighting for his life,' Chavez was quoted as saying during a speech Friday evening to the state parliament in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

Castro was going through a difficult situation, Chavez said.

People should not forget that the machine that has to be repaired is 80 years old, the left-wing nationalist Venezuelan leader said.

Chavez said he had spoken to Castro for 30 minutes a few days ago, but he could not give any details on the 'leader of the revolution's' health as he was not a doctor.

Chavez, who was presented with a medal by the city of Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the Mercosur trade summit in the city, described Castro as a man 'who like (Cuban-Argentinian freedom fighter) Che Guevara will never die.'

Spanish daily El Pais reported Tuesday that Castro was in 'very serious' condition following at least three failed operations.

Castro's health had deteriorated following complications from an intestinal infection, the daily said, citing medical sources from the Gregorio Maranon hospital in Madrid.

The hospital employs Spanish top surgeon Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido, who has been treating Castro, but El Pais did not name its sources.

The daily said Castro had suffered from diverticulitis, a serious inflammation of the large intestine that can cause bleeding.

The infection spread to the membrane of the digestive organs, prompting doctors to remove a part of the large intestine and to connect the colon to the rectum.

The link did not heal and faeces filled the patient's abdomen, making doctors extract all of the large intestine.

The new operation apparently contributed to a dangerous inflammation of the bile duct, in which doctors fitted a South Korean prothesis that had to be replaced with a Spanish one.

In December, Castro had a stomach wound which was releasing more than half a litre of fluids a day, forcing doctors to feed him intravenously.

Doctor Sabrido flew to Cuba in December to treat the 80-year-old leader. He denied reports claiming that Castro suffered from cancer.

Castro, who has ruled Cuba for 47 years, transferred responsibility for governmental affairs to his younger brother, Raul, in July 2006 before undergoing surgery.

He has not been seen in public since last July, and in December missed a massive military parade in Havana marking 50 years since his return from exile.

In his New Year message, Castro said he was recovering slowly from the surgery, but added it would be a 'long process.'