Chavez, ailing Castro have "animated" meeting

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had an 'animated and warm' meeting with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro during a visit to Havana, state-run media said on Tuesday, but no photos or videos of the left-wing allies were made public. Chavez, upon arrival on Monday for a two-day visit, told reporters he would meet with top Cuban officials including the ailing, 81-year-old Castro and Raul Castro, Fidel's younger brother, who took over as president in February. 'Now we have our team, it's the same team,' he said, referring to the close ties he has forged between oil-rich Venezuela and Cuba since he took power. The official Communist Party newspaper Granma said Chavez and Fidel Castro met for three hours on Monday, discussing topics that included 'the food crisis, the financial crisis and the international energy situation.' Castro has been seen only in videos and photographs since July 2006 when he had intestinal surgery that forced him to cede power to his brother after ruling the country since the 1959 revolution.