Chavez says Castro in good spirits

December 16, 2006

In the most extensive account of Castro's condition following weeks of rumors that he has cancer or is even dead, Chavez said he remained optimistic and that his close ally had been in good spirits when they spoke by telephone. Before his surgery, Castro had clung to control over the communist enclave since a 1959 revolution despite a strict U.S. embargo in place since 1962. U.S. Intelligence chief John Negroponte said in an interview with the Washington Post published on Friday that Castro was near death and had "months, not years" to live. Chavez, leader of a resurgent Latin American left and heir apparent to Castro's legacy of anti-U.S. activism, has helped undercut the U.S. embargo by providing low-cost oil from Venezuela's bountiful oil fields.