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Fidel Castro hints at retirement Fidel Castro hints at retirement
(about 3 hours 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 raised the possibility that he may never return to the presidency.
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. In a letter read out on state TV, Mr Castro, Cuba's leader since 1959, said he had a duty not to hold on to power or obstruct the rise of younger people.
Last year he handed over power to his brother Raul on a temporary basis. Last year, he handed temporarily handed over power to his brother Raul and has not been seen in public since.
Since then, he has not made a public appearance - although the government has released pictures of Mr Castro. The statement comes before elections next year to choose a national assembly which then selects the president.
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". "My basic duty is not to cling to office, and even less to obstruct the path of younger people, but to pass on the experiences and ideas whose modest worth stems from the exceptional era in which I have lived," Mr Castro's letter said.
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 seatParliamentary 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 it was 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 MiamiFIDEL 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. But the mention of younger leaders suggests that his 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, and so head of Cuba's one-party government.
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 assembly will then choose the Council of State, which President Fidel Castro has headed since the early 1960s.
Reactions
Mr Castro's illness last year sparked much speculation about the end of one-party rule in Cuba.
But many observers say that there has been a relatively smooth transfer of power.
KEY POLITICAL FIGURES Felipe Perez Roque, 42: Foreign Minister since 1999, Fidel Castro's protege and former chief of staffCarlos Lage, 56: Vice President, key economic adviser from early 1990sRicardo Alarcon, 70: President of National Assembly. At 18, joined Fidel Castro's revolution, organised youth brigades
BBC Americas editor Emilio San Pedro says the letter appears to be a calculated attempt to prepare Cuba's 11 million people for a Cuba without the emblematic revolutionary leader in charge.
Independent Cuban journalist Miriam Leiva, whose husband is a former political prisoner, said she believed the announcement might be a turning point for Cuba.
"The situation in Cuba is so tense, economically and socially. This gives the hope that our society can start moving again," she said.
In Miami, home to many Cuban exiles, there was a mixed reaction to the letter.
"I think that that is good thing for Cuba and the changes that are happening," Moises Dobanganes, originally from the Cuban city of Camaguey, told the BBC.
But others were more sceptical. Gina Forcellado said she thought the announcement was part of a cynical move by Fidel Castro.
"He knows that he's not going to be judged very well by history, so he's trying to correct it," she said.
EditorialsEditorials
Mr Castro stepped aside after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006. Mr Castro stepped aside after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006. His health is a state secret.
Since then he has made his presence felt through regular newspaper editorials. Since earlier this year, he has made his presence felt through regular newspaper editorials and Cuban officials say he keeps up with official business.
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, a lifelong communist 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.