Fidel Castro has temporarily relinquished the presidency of Cuba to his younger brother and chosen successor Raul because of a sudden health crisis. It is the first time since he came to power in 1959 that the Cuban dictator has given up power.

The surprise move was announced live on television by his secretary, Carlos Valenciaga, who read a letter purportedly written by Castro to explain the crisis. “The operation obligates me to undertake several weeks of rest,” said the letter. Extreme stress from recent public appearances in Argentina and Cuba “had provoked in me a sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding that obligated me to undergo a complicated surgical procedure.”

The relinquishment of power was said to be temporary, and of “a provisional character.” There was no immediate appearance or statement by Raul Castro.

Celebration and hope in Miami’s Little Havana at news of Fidel Castro’s illness

Cubans exiles took to the streets in Miami’s Little Havana district Monday night after news spread of Castro’s sudden illness. In the wake of the statement concerning Raul’s “temporary” succession, one question is running through the exile community in the United States.

Is Fidel Castro already dead?

The story continues below the fold with details from the Associated Press, the Miami Herald, Reuters and other sources.

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From Pablo Bachelet at the Miami Herald, Reuters and other sources:

A report prepared for President Bush by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba — a commission that he created in 2003 — recommends that the U.S. move quickly within weeks of Fidel Castro’s death to support a transitional government in Cuba and move the country toward democracy.

The commission is an interagency group co-chaired by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, who is a Cuban-American. The report summarizes the work of more than 100 officials from 17 United States government departments and agencies.

A leaked draft of the commission’s report also recommends a major diplomatic effort to offset the ‘’Venezuela-Cuba axis'’ and identifies President Hugo Chávez as a key player whose oil wealth could help extend the communist system after Castro’s death. It also recommends creating an 80 million dollar fund to promote opposition to Castro and tightening economic sanctions on the island nation.

The recommendations must be approved by President Bush, although he approved virtually all of the items on the commission’s first report in May of 2004. That led to tighter restrictions on travel to Cuba, especially by Cuban exiles.

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