Ailing Castro 'to return'

Fidel Castro is not terminally ill and will return to office once he has beaten his latest illness, Cuban officials have told a delegation from the US.

The 80-year-old dictator handed over the day-to-day running of the Caribbean island to his brother Raul earlier this year before having surgery for internal bleeding in July.

There has been much speculation as to the cause and the seriousness of Castro's illness – some doctors speculate that he is suffering from cancer of the intestines – but his medical condition has been a closely guarded secret since the summer.

Relaying his meetings with Cuban authorities to the Associated Press, Republican legislator Jeff Lake said: "All the officials have told us that his illness is not cancer, nor is it terminal and he will be back."

He added that the communist government was stubbornly resistant to any suggestions of change after Castro's death.

"They were more guarded than I expected about any suggestion that there might be any substantive change economically and politically," he explained.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba has increasingly relied on tourism to bolster its economy and is now one of the Caribbean's top tourist destinations.

Its biggest resort, Varadero in the north of the island, provides an array of fine diving spots and has 20 km of unspoilt beaches for those who wish to remain on shore.

Due to its political regime, the country has a very high police presence, making the island one of the safest places in the world to travel.