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Will not accept position: Castro

HAVANA: Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Tuesday in a statement published in the online version of the official daily Granma that he would not accept the position of President of Council of State.

“To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honour in recent days of electing me a Member of Parliament ... I communicate to you that I will not aspire to or accept ... the position of President of Council of State and Commander-in-Chief,” said Mr. Castro in the statement.

“It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires mobility and total devotion, that I am not in physical condition to offer.”

Mr. Castro was re-elected a deputy of the National Assembly in January.

The Assembly will be convened on Sunday. Under the Constitution, the National Assembly chooses 31 of its members to form the Council of State, whose leader will be the President.

“Fortunately, our Revolution can still count on cadres from the old guard and others who were very young in the early stages of the process,” said Mr. Castro.

“They have the authority and the experience to guarantee the replacement.”

He said he would continue to “fight as a soldier of ideas” by writing columns in the Cuban media. — Xinhua

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