Fidel Castro almost died in 2006

MARK TRAN | Friday December 17, 2010 00:00

Fidel Castro almost died in 2006, according to a confidential US diplomatic cable released by the whistleblower site, WikiLeaks.

The cable contains a detailed description of the Cuban leader's medical condition from the moment he fell ill with a perforated intestine during a flight.

The memo, sent in March 2007 by the then head of the US interests section in Havana, Michael Parmly, quotes a report by an unnamed doctor, who said the plane landed urgently when Castro started bleeding.

The 84-year-old was diagnosed with diverticulitis - or swelling of the colon - and the doctor said Castro needed surgery. But according to the report, Castro 'capriciously' refused to have a colostomy, with the result that his condition deteriorated over time and he required further surgery.

The cable says Castro sacked the head of his medical team after a Spanish doctor was brought in who told Castro he should have had a colostomy as recommended by his medical team in the first place.

The cable goes on to note Castro's renewed lease of life since then. Parmly ended his cable: 'We are missing too many variables to be able to predict accurately how many more months Fidel Castro will live. Frankly, we don't believe anyone, including Castro himself, can state that with certainty. However, while he is still alive, even in a reduced capacity, his presence has a chilling and retardant effect on Cuban society.

'The high expectations for change are still out there, but are mostly associated with the idea that the dictator has to die first before anything substantial will happen.'

Another cable, from January last year, predicted Castro's death would not generate any immediate unrest, or even an upsurge in Cubans seeking to leave.

The dispatch said Cubans' 'generally conservative nature after 50 years of repression, combined with still significant admiration for Fidel personally, argue against short-term disturbances.'

That cable was apparently written by Jonathan Farrar, Parmly's successor. Farrar said he expected the Cuban government to carefully manage the announcement of Castro's death to make sure Cubans understand his brother Raœl is still in charge.

Raœl took over the presidency from an ailing Fidel first temporarily, then permanently in 2006. The two brothers have led Cuba since they ousted US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959, with Raœl serving as the head of the armed forces before taking over the leadership.