Raul Castro tells official newspaper brother Fidel recovering

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• published: 24 Jul 2015
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1. Wide Prado Avenue and Old Capitol Building in background 2. Wide traffic and Morro Castle in background 3. Medium small boats in water 4. Wide Morro Castle 5. Reverse shot man reading "Granma" newspaper with Raul's picture, headline (Spanish): "No Enemy Will Defeat Us" 6. Close up picture of Raul in newspaper 7. Zoom in "Granma" Raul picture and headline (Spanish): "Important Declaration from Raul" 8. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Sergio Rojas, Havana Resident: "I think it was necessary because Raul hadn't spoken. People always like to hear and see and be told. I think this is good." 9. Medium street with policemen and people 10. Medium shot policeman in street 11. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Juan Perez Rodriguez, Havana Resident: "I always had hope. The revolution doesn't depend on Raul appearing, because the revolution belongs to everybody and everybody makes it happen. Raul directs it, Fidel directs it, the leaders direct it, but the lack of presence doesn't worry me." 12. Wide people reading and buying newspapers 13. Medium of man reading newspaper 14. Medium of people buying papers 15. Wide shot of people buying papers STORYLINE In his first public comments since becoming Cuba's acting president, Raul Castro said in an interview published on Friday that his brother Fidel was recovering well from the surgery that forced him to temporarily cede power. In the interview with the Granma Communist Party newspaper, Raul Castro thanked the doctors and others who have cared for his 80-year-old brother. He also praised the Cuban people for remaining calm, comparing the current events to the missile crisis of October 1962. The 75-year-old Raul Castro, Cuba's defence minister, said he mobilised troops on the island in the hours after his brother's illness was announced. One Havana resident seemed pleased that the acting president had finally spoken. "I think it was necessary because Raul hadn't spoken. People always like to hear and see and be told. I think this is good," said one man. Another man said "the revolution" didn't depend on an appearance by Raul. "Raul directs it, Fidel directs it, the leaders direct it, but the lack of presence doesn't worry me," he said. Raul has kept a low profile since becoming acting president at the end of July. He appeared on state television on Sunday, his brother's 80th birthday, to greet visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the airport. He also appeared in photographs of a birthday gathering with his brother and Chavez that same afternoon that were published in the Granma newspaper on Monday. Fidel Castro announced on July 31 that he was temporarily ceding his powers after undergoing intestinal surgery. As the second-in-command in the government, the younger Castro is constitutionally designated to replace his brother permanently should he die or be permanently incapacitated. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a11bc565e7afd8e030a0ffa18558861c Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork