Venezuela's Chavez meets with Fidel, Raul Castro during surprise visit to Cuba

[bemildred]

Source: AP

HAVANA (AP) _ Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made a surprise visit to Cuba late Saturday and wasted little time heading into a closed-door meeting with President Raul Castro and his ailing brother Fidel.

A report on the Web site of the Communist Youth newspaper Juventud Rebelde said Chavez arrived around 8:30 p.m. and was greeted at the airport by the 77-year-old Raul Castro, who succeeded Fidel as president in February, becoming the communist-run island's first new head-of- state in 49 years.

Chavez then met with both Castro brothers, according to the Internet item, which was posted about a half-hour after his arrival. The meeting was still under way at the time of the posting.

The story provided no further details and there was no additional comment from Cuba's government.


Read more: http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-cb-cuba-chavez,0,4384440.story

[WriteDown]

1. Closed door?

You don't say. No live shots at all? I'm willing to put some money on that fact that Fidel is at room temperature right now.

[An Intellectual]

2. Despite his capitalist detractors, Fidel is one of the kindest, most effective leaders of our time.

Any bashing of Fidel is essentially support of free-marketist policies; they hate him because he proves how effective and peaceful a system without much private ownership can be.

[WriteDown]

4. Kindest, effective...

and dead. That is not bashing.

[High Plains]

6. You got anything to support your wishful thinking?

Or are you just blowing it out your ass?

[WriteDown]

7. Cite the last live photo ever taken of him....

I've seen more recent live shots of Elvis. If it was Bushler missing, we'd all be saying the same thing.

[Billy Burnett]

9. Didn't you get the memo?

No proof of the affirmative proves the negative. Some people say. Fair and balanced.


Dr Fidel Castro is dead. WD hasn't seen him recently.


What more do you need?

[WriteDown]

10. I'm just taking bets....

I do wonder how much longer people will accept he is alive with no actual trace of him though. He is like the leader from "Equilibrium."

[paulk]

16. so, you're "an intellectual", huh?

LOL

"Any bashing of Fidel is essentially support of free-marketist policies"

That's got to be just about the stupidist thing I've ever seen posted on this website.

Troll bait stupid, even...

[High Plains]

5. Wishful thinking on the part of you and the gusanos.

[WriteDown]

8. If you say so....

Amazing some of the policy changes after he had his "operation." Treatment of the gays being one. I don't wish him dead, I just am willing to bet money that he is.

[Pterodactyl]

12. I'm not ready to say he's dead. But a new photo would be nice.

I'd like to see another one of those shots with a current newspaper. That would put down any ghoulish rumors.

[UTUSN]

3. "Surprise" visit?!1 "Meeting" of the 3 is news?!1 Did Huguito break out his debit card for the

hurricanes' costs?

[Vidar]

11. Viva Chavez! I hope that Raul Castro is at least half the man his brother is.

[yoodle]

13. Probably planning aid to the US

Talk about your humanitarian victories!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. Did it ever occur to you that Castro might be alive but

bedridden or in such poor physical shape that he doesn't want to be photographed? (Maybe this possibility has occurred to me because I've been spending a lot of time visiting a senior care facility lately, due to family obligations. I'm sure a lot of the people there would prefer not to be photographed for public media either.)

[WriteDown]

15. It has....

but would we put up with that in the U.S. Wouldn't we want to know the condition of our leader(ugh). I'm still sticking to my bet.

[EFerrari]

17. Fidel stepped down a long time ago. n/t