Cuba's Castro recovering says son

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Cuban leader Fidel Castro's recovery from intestinal surgery is satisfactory, his eldest son has said.

The son, also named Fidel, said his father could eventually make a complete recovery from his illness.

The 80-year-old leader was taken ill last July and is believed to be suffering from diverticulitis, a weakening of the walls of the colon.

US officials have said that it is their understanding that he is suffering from a terminal disease.

'Hope of revolutionaries'

Speaking on the sidelines of Havana's book fair, the eldest of Fidel Castro's children, gave the latest upbeat assessment of his father's health.

The president, said Fidel Castro Diaz Balart, was recuperating in a sustained manner.

He added that he believed a complete recovery was both possible and the hope of Cubans and revolutionaries around the world.

The comments echo those made by President Castro's brother Raul, who is currently Cuba's acting president.

He said last week that the veteran leader, whose health is officially a state secret, was getting better every day and was often on the telephone to senior government ministers.

The last official video of the president was released two weeks ago.

He appeared frail, but considerably less so than he had seemed three months previously.