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Fidel Castro close to Death

The Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, said Friday, that Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, is extremely ill and will die soon. "Everything we see indicates it will not be much longer ... months, not years," Negroponte told the Washington Post.

The aging Cuban leader, who recently turned 80, has been ruling Cuba since 1959. He hasn`t made any public appearances since he was hospitalized in early August for emergency surgery in his abdomen. Before the surgery Castro temporarily transferred power to his younger brother, Secretary of Defense Raul Castro. Since Castro has undergone the surgery, Cuba has treated Castro`s medical condition as a national secret. Pictures of him were published in Cuban official papers. Some video footage Castro meeting with his friend, Venezuela`s President, Hugo Chavez, were also made public, but reliable information on Castro`s health and medical condition have not been made public.

Due to the increasing number of rumors concerning ailing Castro`s condition, Floridian law enforcement agencies have began preparing for the day after Castro`s death. In the last few days, the Coast Guard has held a conference near Miami to discuss the different scenarios that may arise after the death of the aging revolutionary. Luis Diaz, of the Coast Guard, said that one of the scenarios considered was a mass influx of Cuban refugees sailing towards Florida`s beaches. Another possibility is that Cuban national`s living in the US would want to return and reunite with their families back in Cuba. He added that such a voyage was extremely dangerous but might be seen as a possibility for many if a coup takes place in Cuba.