Fidel Castro, the Cuban president who seized power in a 1959 revolution, has stated in a quote in Cuba's state-run newspaper Granma that when the National Assembly of Cuba meets on February 24 he "will not aspire to or accept... the positions of President of Council of State and Commander in Chief."

81-year-old Castro handed over control to his 76-year-old brother Raúl when he underwent surgery in July 2006. "It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires mobility and total devotion, that I am not in a physical condition to offer," Castro explained.

Castro, 81, has not appeared in public for 19 months since suffering an undisclosed illness and the Cuban National Assembly is expected to nominate his younger brother Raul as president in his place.

Cuba's National Assembly speaker Ricardo Alarcon had said that while his recovery is ongoing, it was up to Fidel Castro to decide whether he will stay on as president, if reelected in February.

In the past decade, Castro's health deteriorated. In 2004, he made international headlines when he tripped and fell at a graduation ceremony, breaking his left knee and suffering a hairline fracture in his upper right arm.

Story originally featured on Canadian Content on Tuesday February 19, 2008