Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Monday he does not intend to cling to power or block the rise of younger generations.

"My primary duty is not to hold on to positions, or still less to block the rise of younger generations, but to pass on experience and thoughts," Castro, who has rarely been seen in public for a year, said in a letter read on national television.

The letter also mentioned the just-concluded UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia.

Earlier this month, Castro, who temporarily handed power to his younger brother Raul Castro a year ago, was nominated as a candidate for the next National Assembly, a move likely to keep him in power for another five years.

(Xinhua News Agency December 18, 2007)