Castro makes an appearance with a TV interview

havana -- Fidel Castro looked alert and healthier Friday in a video interview aired on state television, the first new images of the ailing 81-year-old Cuban leader shown in more than three months.

Officials broke into regularly scheduled programming to announce that the hourlong conversation would be shown right away.

Castro provided no new details about his health, except to say, “Well, here I am.”

Mocking rumors of his death that have circulated in Miami and elsewhere in the United States, he said: “They say ‘I was dying’ and ‘If I die’ and ‘I will die the day after tomorrow’ or something. Nobody knows the day they are going to die.”

Castro wore a red, blue and white jumpsuit with “F. Castro” in small block letters. He spoke slowly and softly and didn’t always look the interviewer in the eye, but appeared to be thinking clearly. At times, it was hard to follow his train of thought as he spoke about a wandering essay of his that was published Wednesday in state media.

At first, Castro often trailed off mid-sentence, and needed some prompting. But he appeared to get stronger and more comfortable as time passed. His eyes and facial expression were clear.

Castro mentioned the price of oil and the value of the euro against the dollar, evidence that the video was recorded Friday, as Cuban officials noted.

He also held up a copy of the new book by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, “The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World.” At one point he read passages from the book.

The Cuban president has not been seen in public since July 31, 2006, when he announced that emergency intestinal surgery was forcing him to hand power to a provisional government headed by his younger brother Raul.

Vice President Carlos Lage told reporters earlier Friday that the essays Castro has published every few days since late March were evidence that his health is strong.

As Castro recovers in an undisclosed location, his condition and exact ailment are state secrets, though he wrote in one of his essays that he had undergone multiple surgeries, at least one of which went poorly.