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| Fidel Castro hints at retirement | Fidel Castro hints at retirement |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Cuba's ailing communist leader, Fidel Castro, has said he has a duty not to hold on to power or obstruct the rise of younger people. | Cuba's ailing communist leader, Fidel Castro, has said he has a duty not to hold on to power or obstruct the rise of younger people. |
| Correspondents say the letter read on state TV is the first suggestion that the 81-year-old president may give up his position in Cuba's leadership. | Correspondents say the letter read on state TV is the first suggestion that the 81-year-old president may give up his position in Cuba's leadership. |
| Last year he handed over power to his brother Raul on a temporary basis. | Last year he handed over power to his brother Raul on a temporary basis. |
| Since then, he has not made a public appearance - although the government has released pictures of Mr Castro. | Since then, he has not made a public appearance - although the government has released pictures of Mr Castro. |
| In the letter released on Monday, he said his duty was not to cling to office but "to pass on experiences and ideas whose modest value arises from the exceptional era in which I lived". | In the letter released on Monday, he said his duty was not to cling to office but "to pass on experiences and ideas whose modest value arises from the exceptional era in which I lived". |
| The message was delivered during Cuba's main nightly current affairs programme, Mesa Redonda. | The message was delivered during Cuba's main nightly current affairs programme, Mesa Redonda. |
| Parliamentary seat | Parliamentary seat |
| The BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says this is not a formal letter of resignation, and there is no indication about how or when the Cuban leader might step down. | The BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says this is not a formal letter of resignation, and there is no indication about how or when the Cuban leader might step down. |
| FIDEL CASTRO Born in 1926 to a wealthy, landowning familyTook up arms in 1953, six years before coming to powerBrother Raul was deputy and Che Guevara third in commandHas outlasted nine American presidentsTarget of many CIA assassination plotsDaughter is a dissident exile in Miami | FIDEL CASTRO Born in 1926 to a wealthy, landowning familyTook up arms in 1953, six years before coming to powerBrother Raul was deputy and Che Guevara third in commandHas outlasted nine American presidentsTarget of many CIA assassination plotsDaughter is a dissident exile in Miami |
| The mention of younger leaders suggests that younger brother Raul - who is 76 - may not automatically succeed the president, our correspondent says. | The mention of younger leaders suggests that younger brother Raul - who is 76 - may not automatically succeed the president, our correspondent says. |
| Fidel Castro has ruled Cuba since leading the 1959 revolution. | Fidel Castro has ruled Cuba since leading the 1959 revolution. |
| Earlier this month he was nominated as a candidate for a seat in Cuba's National Assembly - a move seen as an indication that he might still hope for a return to power. | Earlier this month he was nominated as a candidate for a seat in Cuba's National Assembly - a move seen as an indication that he might still hope for a return to power. |
| Mr Castro must be re-elected to the assembly if he is to remain president of the Council of State. | Mr Castro must be re-elected to the assembly if he is to remain president of the Council of State. |
| Nationwide elections will be held on 20 January. | Nationwide elections will be held on 20 January. |
| The newly elected parliament will then choose the Council of State, which President Fidel Castro has headed since the early 1960s. | The newly elected parliament will then choose the Council of State, which President Fidel Castro has headed since the early 1960s. |
| Editorials | Editorials |
| Mr Castro stepped aside after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006. | Mr Castro stepped aside after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006. |
| Since then he has made his presence felt through regular newspaper editorials. | Since then he has made his presence felt through regular newspaper editorials. |
| In Monday's message, Mr Castro paid tribute to the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, who turned 100 on Saturday. | In Monday's message, Mr Castro paid tribute to the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, who turned 100 on Saturday. |
| "I think like Niemeyer that you have to be of consequence up to the end," he wrote. | "I think like Niemeyer that you have to be of consequence up to the end," he wrote. |
| The comments came in the final paragraph of a letter dealing with this month's climate change conference in Bali. | The comments came in the final paragraph of a letter dealing with this month's climate change conference in Bali. |
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