MEXICO CITY — Fidel Castro has ended his silence of almost six weeks over the deal to restore diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, writing in a letter that he supported a peaceful end to conflict but still distrusted American politics.
“We will always defend cooperation and friendship with all of the world’s people, among them our political adversaries,” Mr. Castro wrote in the letter. It was read to a student federation to observe the 70th anniversary of his matriculation at the University of Havana, and it was published late on Monday in Granma, the Communist Party’s official newspaper.
The conspicuous absence of Mr. Castro, 88, after the announcement on Dec. 17 of the détente after decades of tension and diplomatic estrangement prompted rumors in Havana and Miami that he was dead.
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“He made it such a principle, but he hasn’t reacted to that and he hasn’t seen them,” Mr. Latell said, referring to the spies. “Why hasn’t he taken some credit?”
The letter seemed to serve Raúl Castro’s political purposes more than Fidel’s, Mr. Latell said, adding, “You have to wonder who is composing these utterances.”
A version of this article appears in print on January 28, 2015, on page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: Fidel Castro Still Cautious On Relations With U.S. . Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
