Former Cuban dictator Fidel REAPPEARS on Cuban state television.

       Since February, when Cuba’s former dictator FIDEL CASTRO formally relinquished power to Raul, his younger brother, no pictures of him had been broadcast. And he has not been seen in public since July 2006, when he fell ill. In the silent footage broadcasted by the Cuban state television, the Cuban people were able to see the aging dictator at a meeting with the new dictator and Hugo Chavez in Havana. They had discussed issues like the food and energy crises, said the Venezuelan ruler.

    “Fidel is sitting there, alive and well, thinking, writing and dictating important strategies for Cuba and our Latin America”, the Venezuelan former lieutenant colonel told reporters after the meeting. During three hours, state media earlier said, the former dictator had held “animated and friendly” talks with his staunchest ally. In the silent video, Fidel Castro is wearing a Cuban national team track suit and is shown sitting, as well as on his feet. The 81-year-old appears thinner, and his hair and beard are sparser and whiter. But state media did not give details about his state of health-- it is still a state TOP SECRET.

     The dying comandante was last seen in a video on 16 January, when Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazilian president, visited Cuba. Castro's absence from the public eye has fed rumors that his health was failing, especially after a gap of two weeks in early May without any of his regular newspaper editorials.