A niece of Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Sunday that her uncle Fidel is recovering "very well" and would likely again be "present and very active" in Cuba's government.

Asked if Castro would resume full duties, Mariela Castro Espin, the daughter of acting President Raul Castro, said, "I imagine him returning or not returning is all the same because one way or the other he is going to be present and very active."

Espin, who was attending the presentation of a book by her mother Vilma Espin, head of the Federation of Cuban Women, admitted that she had not seen her uncle in recent days.

However, she said that she knew her uncle "is recovering very well and a person who is even very conscious of his age. He has great confidence in the revolution and his comrades."

Castro is "recuperating as a man of 80 years should recuperate, " she said.

Fidel Castro, 80, had an intestinal operation on July 27, 2006 and four days later he handed over power temporarily to his younger brother, Raul Castro.

Source: Xinhua