Raul Castro says brother Fidel recovering
Raul Castro, Cuba's defense minister who is temporarily in charge of the nation, said in an interview published on Friday that his brother Fidel Castro is recovering.

"Without any doubt, what most interests all of us at this time is the Jefe's health," Raul Castro told Cuba's Granma newspaper.

He expressed thanks to the doctors and others who have cared for his brother.

The doctors "have attended to him in an excellent manner, with an unsurpassable professionalism and, above all, with much love and dedication," he said.

"This has been a very important factor in Fidel's progressive recovery," the younger Castro said. "Moreover, I think that his exceptional physical and mental nature has also been essential to his satisfactory and gradual recovery."

While Fidel Castro recovers, "absolute tranquility is reigning in the country," the younger brother said.

"And something even more important, the serene, disciplined and decisive attitude that can be felt in every workplace, in every city, in every neighborhood," he said. "The same one that our people always assume in moments of difficulty."

Fidel Castro, 80, announced on July 31 that he was temporarily ceding his power to his brother after undergoing intestinal surgery.