| Almost stable. |
U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said all the Cuban officials they spoke to during the three-day trip that ended Sunday told them the 80-year-old leader's "illness is not cancer, nor is it terminal, and he will be back."
Acting President Raul Castro did not meet with the 10-member U.S. delegation and lawmakers said his absence was evidence of the political uncertainty created by Cuba's insistence that Fidel Castro will return to power.
"The party line is that Fidel is coming back, which ... creates a sort of vacuum," said Rep. Jane Harmon of California.
U.S. officials have said they believe Fidel Castro suffers from some kind of inoperable cancer and will not live through the end of 2007. Some U.S. doctors have speculated he could have a colon condition called diverticulosis, which is relatively common among older people.Castro has not been seen since July 26, five days before he temporarily ceded power to his younger brother to recover from surgery from intestinal bleeding. His failure to show up at his own delayed birthday celebrations earlier this month sparked rumors that he was on his deathbed.