CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday it is unlikely that ailing former Cuban leader Fidel Castro will ever appear in public again.
“That Fidel in his uniform who walked the streets and towns late at night, hugging the people, won’t return,” Chavez said during his Sunday television and radio program. “That will remain in memories.”
He did not discuss the 82-year-old Castro’s current medical condition or say why he thought Castro would not return to the public stage.
Chavez has continued to meet occasionally with his friend Castro in private since the former Cuban leader underwent emergency intestinal surgery about 2½ years ago. Castro was last seen in public on July 26, 2006, at a celebration in eastern Cuba.
Since then, Cuban authorities have periodically released photos and videos of Castro meeting with Chavez and other foreign leaders.
Fidel has ceded power to his younger brother Raul Castro, but continues to write essays published in official Cuban media.
Chavez calls the former Cuban leader his “political father.”
“Fidel will live forever, beyond the physical life,” Chavez said Sunday.
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