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  Fidel Castro, who took control of Cuba in 1959, rebuffed repeated U.S. attempts to oust him and survived communism's demise almost everywhere else, temporarily relinquished his presidential powers to his brother Raul on Monday night because of surgery.

The Cuban leader said he had suffered gastrointestinal bleeding, apparently due to stress from recent public appearances in Argentina and Cuba, according to a letter read live on television by his secretary, Carlos Valenciaga.

 "The operation obligates me to undertake several weeks of rest," said the letter. Extreme stress "had provoked in me a sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding that obligated me to undergo a complicated surgical procedure."

Castro said he was temporarily relinquishing the presidency to his younger brother and successor Raul, the defense minister, but said the move was of "a provisional character." There was no immediate appearance or statement by Raul Castro.

It was the first time in his decades-long tenure that Castro has given up power, though he has been sidelined briefly in the recent past with occasional health problems.

The elder Castro asked that celebrations scheduled for his 80th birthday on Aug. 13 be postponed until Dec. 2, the 50th anniversary of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces.

Castro said he would also temporarily delegate his duties as first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba to Raul, who turned 75 in June and who has been taking on a more public profile in recent weeks.

In power since the triumph of the Cuban revolution on Jan. 1, 1959, Castro has been the world's longest-ruling head of government. Only Britain's Queen Elizabeth, crowned in 1952, has been head of state longer.

The "maximum leader's" ironclad rule has ensured Cuba remains among the world's five remaining communist countries. The others are all in Asia: China, Vietnam, Laos and North Korea.

In Old Havana, waiters at a popular cafe were momentarily stunned as they watched the news. But they quickly got back to work and put on brave faces.

"He'll get better, without a doubt," said Agustin Lopez, 40. "There are really good doctors here, and he's extremely strong."

In the nearby Plaza Vieja, Cuban musicians continued to play for customers _ primarily foreign tourists _ sitting at outdoor cafes. Signs on the plaza's colonial buildings put up during a recent Cuban holiday said, "Live on Fidel, for 80 more."

"We're really sad, and pretty shocked," said Ines Cesar, a retired 58- year-old metal worker who had gathered with neighbors to discuss the news. "But everyone's relaxed too: I think he'll be fine."

When asked about how she felt having Raul Castro at the helm of the nation, Cesar paused and said one word: "normal."

Over nearly five decades, hundreds of thousands of Cubans have fled Castro's rule, many of them settling just across the Florida Straits in Miami.

The announcement drew cheering in the streets in Miami. People waved Cuban flags on Little Havana's Calle Ocho, shouting "Cuba, Cuba, Cuba," hoping that the end is near for the man most of them consider to be a ruthless dictator. There were hugs, cheers and dancing as drivers honked their horns. Many of them fled the communist island or have parents and grandparents who did.

White House spokesman Peter Watkins said: "We are monitoring the situation. We can't speculate on Castro's health, but we continue to work for the day of Cuba's freedom." The State Department declined to comment Monday night.

Castro rose to power after an armed revolution he led drove out then- President Fulgencio Batista.

The United States was the first country to recognize Castro, but his radical economic reforms and rapid trials of Batista supporters quickly unsettled U.S. leaders.

Washington eventually slapped a trade embargo on the island and severed diplomatic ties. Castro seized American property and businesses and turned to the Soviet Union for military and economic assistance.

On April 16, 1961, Castro declared his revolution to be socialist. The following day, he humiliated the United States by capturing more than 1,100 exile soldiers in the Bay of Pigs invasion.

The world neared nuclear conflict on Oct. 22, 1962, when President John F. Kennedy announced there were Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. After a tense week of diplomacy, Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev removed them.

Meanwhile, Cuban revolutionaries opened 10,000 new schools, erased illiteracy, and built a universal health care system. Castro backed revolutionary movements in Latin America and Africa.

But former liberties were whittled away as labor unions lost the right to strike, independent newspapers were shut down and religious institutions were harassed.

Castro continually resisted U.S. demands for multiparty elections and an open economy despite American laws tightening the embargo in 1992 and 1996.

He characterized a U.S. plan for American aid in a post-Castro era as a thinly disguised attempt at regime change and insisted his socialist system would survive long after his death.

Fidel Castro Ruz was born in eastern Cuba, where his Spanish immigrant father ran a prosperous plantation. His official birthday is Aug. 13, although some say he was born a year later.

Talk of Castro's mortality was long taboo on the island, but that ended June 23, 2001, when he fainted during a speech in the sun. Although Castro quickly returned to the stage, many Cubans understood for the first time that their leader would one day die.

Castro shattered a kneecap and broke an arm when he fell after a speech on Oct. 20, 2004, but typically laughed off rumors about his health, most recently a 2005 report that he had Parkinson's disease.

"They have tried to kill me off so many times," Castro said in a November 2005 speech about the Parkinson's report, adding he felt "better than ever."

But the Cuban president also said he would not insist on remaining in power if he ever became too sick to lead: "I'll call the (Communist) Party and tell them I don't feel I'm in condition ... that please, someone take over the command."

Castro's New Health Problem More Serious

  The intestinal bleeding that forced Fidel Castro to temporarily relinquish his presidential powers appeared to be the most serious of a number of recent health problems that have plagued the Cuban leader as he approaches his 80th birthday.

Cubans were reminded of Castro's advancing age when he fell on Oct. 20, 2004, after a public speech, shattering a kneecap and breaking an arm. But the Cuban leader was back on his feet less than two months later, attending to visiting leaders and making public appearances.

 Castro, who turns 80 on Aug. 13, laughed off persistent rumors that his health was failing. Most recently, a 2005 report said he had Parkinson's disease.

On June 23, 2001, Castro fainted briefly while giving a speech in the searing sun, stunning Cubans.

Castro gave up cigars for health reasons decades ago, but still champions one of Cuba's most important exports, worth about $300 million annually.

On rare occasions, Castro did acknowledge his mortality, especially as he grew older.

"I promise that I will be with you, if you so wish, for as long as I feel that I can be useful _ and if it is not decided by nature before. Not a minute less and not a second more," Castro said in March 2003, accepting a sixth term as president of Cuba's governing body.

"Now I understand that it was not my destiny to rest at the end of my life."

Castro: Numerous Medical Possibilities
Aug 01 4:35 PM US/Eastern

By LAURAN NEERGAARD
AP Medical Writer

WASHINGTON

Although U.S. doctors can only speculate on Fidel Castro's health, his self-described symptoms could signal severe ulcers, a colon condition called diverticulosis or, an outside possibility, even cancer.

Whatever the cause, major abdominal surgery in a soon-to-be 80-year- old is risky, made more so if Castro is indeed weakened from prolonged bleeding. Pneumonia, blood clots and other life-threatening complications can crop up in the critical first days of recuperation.

Castro was said to be recovering "positively" on Tuesday after intestinal surgery to stanch what was described as sustained bleeding. In a statement attributed to Castro, the Cuban leader blamed stress for "an acute intestinal crisis" that would require complicated surgery and weeks of recovery.

U.S. specialists dismiss the stress comment, saying that couldn't be enough to trigger serious bleeding.

But a whole list of conditions can cause bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. It's impossible to know the true culprit without knowing where the bleeding originated: the stomach, small intestine, colon.

Still, only a few disorders are likely to cause enough bleeding to spur urgent surgery, and a condition called diverticulosis tops that list, said Dr. David Weinberg, director of gastroenterology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

Diverticula are balloon-like sacs that form along the digestive tract's lining, usually in the colon. These weak spots become very common with increasing age, and sometimes intersect with an artery _ allowing blood to drain straight into the intestine, then out of the body.

"You see, typically, large amounts of usually painless bleeding, without warning that it's coming," Weinberg said.

Often, it heals on its own. Other times, doctors snake a tube, called an endoscope, into the colon to cauterize it. Or, surgeons may remove the section of intestine harboring the bleeding pouch, an hours-long operation.

Another suspect: ulcers, which are most commonly caused by bacteria called H. pylori or by medications, including aspirin and other anti- inflammatory painkillers.

In the United States, surgery for bleeding ulcers has plummeted in the last decade, thanks to acid-blocking medications.

But when surgery is needed, it can be complex, requiring removal of a part of the stomach, explained Dr. Parag Bhanot of Georgetown University Hospital. If that's what Castro underwent, Bhanot predicted a seven to 10-day hospital stay and, barring complications, two to four more weeks of recuperation.

Bleeding can be a symptom of stomach and colorectal cancer. But sudden, obvious bleeding is uncommon from cancer, cautioned Fox Chase's Weinberg.

Regardless of Castro's diagnosis, "given certainly his age and the urgent nature of his procedure, he is at an increased risk for complications," said Bhanot. "Not only his age but his overall health will really be the critical factor" in recovery.

Castro: Numerous Medical Possibilities (http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/08/01/D8J7RMNO0.html)

Castro's Final Moment 'Very Far Away'

Cuba's Communist government tried to impose a sense of normalcy Tuesday, its first day in 47 years without Fidel Castro in charge. A senior Cuban official insisted Castro's final moment was "very far away," despite his handing over power to his brother after surgery.

Parliament Speaker Ricardo Alarcon said the Cuban leader is known for fighting to the very end and that his "final moment is still very far away," the government's Prensa Latina news service reported.

Raul Castro, the island's acting president, was nowhere to be seen as Cubans began to worry about what comes next and exiles in Miami celebrated a development they hoped signaled the death of a dictator. Cuban dissidents kept a low profile while watching for signs of Castro's condition.

"Everything's normal here - for the moment," said hospital worker Emilio Garcia, 41, waiting for a friend at a Havana hotel. "But we've never experienced this before - it's like a small test of how things could be without Fidel."

The main newscast on state-run TV gave no details of the 79-year-old leader's condition, but ran a string of man-on-the-street interviews with Cubans wishing him well and professing confidence in the revolution's staying power. The anchor said Castro had the people's "unconditional support."

It was unknown when or where the surgery took place or where Castro was recovering. But the Venezuelan government, Cuba's closest ally, said Cuban officials reported Castro was "advancing positively." Leftist Argentine lawmaker Miguel Bonasso said Castro aides told him the leader was resting peacefully.

Cubans were stunned when Castro's secretary read a letter on state television Monday night announcing their leader was temporarily turning over power to his younger brother, the island's defense minister and the president's designated successor.

In the letter, Castro, who turns 80 on Aug. 13, said doctors operated to repair a "sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding." Neither Castro brother was shown.

Castro had been seen frequently in recent days, delivering speeches in eastern Cuba during a revolutionary holiday and making waves at a trade summit in Argentina. Those back-to-back trips and the resulting stress "ruined" his health, according to his letter.

"It's so surprising, because in Argentina he gave off such a strong political image and looked quite vital," said Rafael Marti, a businessman from Spain visiting Cuba with his wife. He said he didn't expect rapid change on the island 90 miles south of Florida.

Cubans agreed nothing was likely to change overnight - especially not with Castro's fiercely loyal brother at the helm. Raul Castro, who turned 75 in June, has been his brother's constitutional successor for decades and has assumed a more public profile in recent weeks.

The calm delivery of the announcement appeared intended to signal that any transition of power would be orderly. Yet some feared resentment over class divisions could spark conflict if a political vacuum develops.

"It's better for things to move slowly, instead of abrupt change," Garcia said. "But people are a bit nervous - anything could happen."

Dissidents said they expected the government to be on the defensive, with a high security presence and a low tolerance for political acts.

"It's clear that this is the start of the transition," said activist Manuel Cuesta Morua. "This gives Cuba the opportunity to have a more rational leadership" because top leaders will be forced to work together rather than following one man.

Officials halted some interviews by journalists Tuesday, with one plainclothes officer ejecting an Associated Press reporter from a cafe for asking questions. People on the street were reluctant to talk to foreign journalists, and many declined to give full names.

"We've been asked to keep things normal here, and to make sure that the revolution continues," said Daniel, a young social worker.

Government work centers brought employees together for small rallies throughout Havana.

"For this man, we must give our life," a customs worker told a crowd waving Cuban flags and shouting "Long live Fidel!"

Elsewhere, it looked like a regular day in Havana, with people packed into buses and standing in line outside stores.

Across the Florida straits in Miami, where hundreds of thousands of fleeing Cubans have settled, boisterous celebrations Monday night gave way to speculation about what would happen in Cuba when Castro dies. Car horns still blared, but some cautioned the celebrations may have been premature.

Many Cubans on the island thought the Miami celebrations were in poor taste.

"We aren't going to celebrate someone's illness," said a waitress who wouldn't give her name.

In Washington, the State Department said it would support a democratic transition in Cuba. Spokesman Sean McCormack said the Cuban people are weary of communist rule and eager to choose a new form of government.

"We believe that the Cuban people aspire and thirst for democracy and that given the choice they would choose a democratic government," he said.

Castro, who took control of Cuba in 1959, has resisted repeated U.S. attempts to oust him as well as demands for multiparty elections and an open economy. He has survived communism's demise elsewhere and repeatedly insisted his socialist system would long outlive him.

Doctors in the United States said Castro's condition could be life-threatening but since the details of his symptoms were not released it was hard to say what caused the bleeding: severe ulcers, a colon condition called diverticulosis or - an outside possibility - cancer.

Castro seemed optimistic of recovery, asking in his letter that celebrations scheduled for his 80th birthday be postponed until Dec. 2, the 50th anniversary of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces.

The leaders of China, Venezuela, Bolivia and Mexico wished Castro well.

Castro has been in power since the Jan. 1, 1959, triumph of the armed revolution that drove out dictator Fulgencio Batista. He has been the world's longest-ruling head of government, and his ironclad rule has ensured Cuba's place among the world's five remaining communist countries, along with China, Vietnam, Laos and North Korea.

Talk of Castro's mortality was taboo until June 23, 2001, when he fainted during a speech in the sun. Although Castro quickly recovered, many Cubans understood for the first time that their leader would eventually die.

Castro shattered a kneecap and broke an arm when he fell after a speech on Oct. 20, 2004, but laughed off rumors about his health, most recently a 2005 report he had Parkinson's disease.