Fidel Castro, ‘In Excellent Health,' Appears For Photo-Op During Meeting With Spanish Journalist

Fidel Castro made his first appearance before cameras in months last week during a meeting with Spanish journalist -- and Castro biographer -- Ignacio Ramonet, quieting growing speculation that the 87-year-old former Cuban president and revolutionary leader was in ill health after he did not make public comments on the death of Nelson Mandela, a longtime friend and close ally. Ramonet told the Associated Press on Wednesday that his meeting with Castro had lasted about two and a half hours, during which he had appeared health and alert. Hit the box below to see the photo of the meeting.

Cubadebate, a government news site, wrote that Ramonet and Castro had timed their meeting last Friday to correspond with "the 19^th anniversary of Fidel's first meeting with Hugo Chávez" in 1994. "Over the course of more than two hours, they spoke about Ramonet's recent book of conversations with the Bolivarian comandante titled 'Hugo Chávez, My First Life'," the site wrote, adding that the two had also discussed "the recent municipal elections in Venezuela and the world's various political and ecology problems of the moment."

Ramonet confirmed to the AP what Cubadebate had reported about their discussion and said, "I found him to be in excellent health and in a good mood, physically, mentally and psychologically." He added, "He's interested in everything. The environment, the climate crisis, Chile, Venezuela, South Africa. Everything interests him." BBC News notes that Castro's last public statement came on August 28, when the newspaper Granma published a column of his in which he praised NSA leaker Edward Snowden and said possible US military action in Syria could "start a genocide against the Arab peoples".

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